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Interleukin-6 positively correlates with cardiovascular disease predictor algorithms and biomarker in rheumatoid

Seyed Askar Roghani1,2,3, Afsaneh Shamsi1, Cyrus Jalili3

  • 1Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
|August 19, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Elevated Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients correlate with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and biomarkers. IL-6 may serve as a key indicator for predicting future cardiovascular events in RA.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Cardiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Chronic inflammation links rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  • Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is crucial in RA pathogenesis and linked to joint destruction.
  • IL-6's role in CVD risk among RA patients warrants further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the association between plasma Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and cardiovascular risk markers in RA patients.
  • To compare IL-6 levels in RA patients with healthy controls.
  • To explore the relationship between IL-6, cardiac biomarkers (NT-proBNP, HS-CRP), CVD risk scores (FRS, SCORE), and immune markers (CXCL9, CXCR3).

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study including 60 RA patients (30 early, 30 late-stage) and 30 healthy controls.
  • Quantification of plasma IL-6 and NT-proBNP using ELISA.
  • Measurement of HS-CRP via immunoturbidimetric assay.
  • Assessment of CVD risk using Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE).

Main Results:

  • RA patients exhibited significantly higher IL-6 plasma levels than controls (p < 0.001).
  • IL-6 positively correlated with RA disease activity scores (DAS-28, BPS, BPD), CVD risk scores (SCORE, FRS), HS-CRP, NT-proBNP, CXCL9, and CXCR3.
  • IL-6 showed a negative association with HDL levels in RA patients.

Conclusions:

  • IL-6 is significantly elevated in RA patients and strongly associated with multiple cardiovascular risk factors and biomarkers.
  • These findings suggest IL-6 could be a valuable biomarker for assessing future cardiovascular event risk in individuals with RA.
  • Targeting IL-6 may offer a therapeutic strategy to mitigate CVD risk in RA.

Keywords:
CXCR3C‐reactive proteinInterleukin‐6cardiovascular diseaserheumatoid arthritis

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