Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by DASGUPTA, B.
Right arrow Articles by PANAYI, G. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by DASGUPTA, B.
Right arrow Articles by PANAYI, G. S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1990 British Society for Rheumatology

brief-report

INTERLEUKIN-6 IN SERUM OF PATIENTS WITH POLYMYALGIA RHEUMATICA AND GIANT CELL ARTERITIS

B. DASGUPTA and G. S. PANAYI

Rheumatology Unit, UMDS, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT on behalf of the PMR/GCA Study Group

Correspondence to: Correspondence to Professor G. Panayi

Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis are diseases which are characterized by a brisk acute phase response. Cytokines, principally interleukin-1 and interleukin-6, are thought to mediate the release of acute phase proteins from hepato cytes. Employing a sensitive bioassay based on the hybridoma growth factor properties of interleukin-6, we investigated its levels in sequential sera obtained from 15 initially untreated patients with PMR/GCA. We found that interleukin-6 activity was significantly elevated in all untreated patients. Although there was a significant decline in its levels after suc cessful steroid therapy, seven patients continued to have raised serum levels of interleukin-6 for up to 6 months after initia tion of treatment. Activated endothelial cells are a potent source of interleukin-6 and its persistence in the circulation may be taken as evidence of continuing disease activity. What is not explicable is the normalization of the acute phase response soon after the commencement of steroid therapy when circulating levels of interleukin-6 are still high. This suggests that steroids may be having additional effects on hepatocyte function.

KEY WORDS: Acute phase response, Cytokines, Disease activity


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Ann Rheum DisHome page
M Lopez-Hoyos, M J Bartolome-Pacheco, R Blanco, V Rodriguez-Valverde, and V M Martinez-Taboada
Selective T cell receptor decrease in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis
Ann Rheum Dis, January 1, 2004; 63(1): 54 - 60.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
R. H. Straub, J. Georgi, K. Helmke, P. Vaith, and B. Lang
In polymyalgia rheumatica serum prolactin is positively correlated with the number of typical symptoms but not with typical inflammatory markers
Rheumatology, April 1, 2002; 41(4): 423 - 429.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
W. A. Schmidt and E. Gromnica-Ihle
Incidence of temporal arteritis in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica: a prospective study using colour Doppler ultrasonography of the temporal arteries
Rheumatology, January 1, 2002; 41(1): 46 - 52.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.