Rheumatoid Factor and inflammatory answer Markers. Behavior in a sample of individuals. Preliminary results.

Abstract

The rheumatoid factor is a serologic marker of autoimmunity associated with several diseases, and with a great demand at the clinical laboratory of the hospital “Faustino Pérez” of Matanzas. For that reason we carried out a transversal study to analyze the seric behavior of the rheumatoid factor, reactive C protein, complements C3 and C4, IgG, IgM, and IgA in a supposed healthy and unhealthy sample of this province. For that reason the immunoturbidimetric quantitative determination of these variables was made in 112 individuals, 70 controls supposedly healthy and 42 patients, using diagnosers Futura System. The Test-T to compare the averages among groups, showed significant higher levels (p<0,05) of rheumatoid factor, C reactive protein, IgG, and IgA: 98,64 v/s 17,81 U/ml, 26,4 v/s 5,31 mg/L, 14,35 v/s 12,65 g/L, 4,12 v/s 2,59 g/L, in patients in relation with the controls, respectively; and lower levels of 1,40 v/s 1,68 g/L, and C4, 0,29 v/s 0,36 G/L, in the first ones (p<0.05). Besides that, there were detected significantly higher levels of the complement C3 in patients at the clinical exacerbation level in relation with those in remission, 1,48 v/s 1,02 g/L (p=0,018), and in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis versus those with other diagnosis, 1,65 v/s 1,21 g/L (p=0,004); and also of IgG in patients in remission in relation with the active ones, 16,77 v/s 13,78 g/L (p=0,050). There were not found significant differences for the rest of the variables among the patients. These results might be due to the participation of the activated inflammatory answer in the studied patients, to the regulation of the levels of the rheumatoid factor in different diseases, and to the activation of the C3 complement, mainly in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.