Do Changes in Clinical Improvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated with Immunosuppressive Drugs Reflect the Changes in acute Phase Proteins?

Abstract

We sought to investigate whether clinical improvement after immunosuppressive treatment reflects changes in acute phase response (APR) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Fifty-eight patients (pts) were treated with methotrexate (MTX), nineteen with intravenous cyclophosphamide (CTX), and fifteen with cyclosporin A (CSA). C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha-1 -acid glycoprotein (AGP), alpha-1 antichymotrypsin (ACT), and alpha-1 antitrypsin (AT) serum levels were measured by nephelometry or rocket irnmunoelectrophoresis.