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  • Title: Influence of corticosteroid pulse therapy on the serum levels of soluble interleukin 2 receptor, interleukin 6 and interleukin 8 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
    Author: van den Brink HR, van Wijk MJ, Geertzen RG, Bijlsma JW.
    Journal: J Rheumatol; 1994 Mar; 21(3):430-4. PubMed ID: 7911833.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of corticosteroid pulse (CP) therapy on soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-8 levels in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Twenty-five patients with active RA were studied before and after treatment with intravenous CP therapy. In 12 patients lymphocyte subsets were also assessed. RESULTS: All patients showed a significant decrease in clinical disease activity variables after 4 to 8 weeks of CP therapy. Baseline levels of sIL-2R were higher among patients with active RA than healthy controls; after CP therapy, sIL-2R levels decreased significantly, but not as much as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein. In most cases baseline levels of both IL-6 (n = 23) and IL-8 (n = 17) could be measured and both decreased significantly after CP therapy. Cortisol levels were suppressed shortly after CP therapy but had returned to pretreatment values at 4 weeks. After CP therapy there was a temporary increase in the number of HLA-DR positive cells and a decrease in the number of CD3 positive cells, while the CD4/CD8 ratio and IL-2 receptor (CD25) positive cells remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: High dose corticosteroids influence serum levels of sIL-2R, IL-6 and IL-8 in patients with active RA.
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