DEMONSTRATION OF THE IMMUNE AND AUTOIMMUNE COMPONENTS OF INFLAMMATION IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE

Abstract

A total of 40 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 45 females with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 22 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) as well as 54 women without a history of rheumatic disease (RD) or IHD were examined. The levels of hs-CRP, fibrinogen (FG), IL-6, TNF-α, antibodies to oxidized low-density lipoproteins (aOxLDL), and antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) were determined. Despite ongoing therapy, there was no achievement of drug remission in patients with SLE and RA, which was confirmed by increased levels of hs-CRP, ESR, FG, IL-6 and TNF-α. Similar qualitative and quantitative autoimmune changes in SLE and RA were established. A similar concentration of antibodies to β2-glycoprotein I confirmed the importance of autoimmune inflammation for the development of subclinical atherosclerosis in RD and aseptic autoimmune inflammation in IHD.

Keywords

• systemic lupus erythematosus
• rheumatoid arthritis
• ischemic heart disease
• inflammatory markers
• cytokines
• antiphospholipid antibodies