Serum selenium concentrations in rheumatoid arthritis

Article Abstract:

Selenium is an important dietary nutrient. It plays a significant role in biochemical reactions that protect cells from damage. It has been shown to protect cells and tissues from inflammation and viral infections. Certain types of arthritis can be caused by infections and many types of arthritis cause inflammation. Several studies have reported that patients with arthritis have less selenium in their blood than people who do not have arthritis. However, these studies were performed in regions where the daily intake of selenium was low to begin with. Therefore, a study was performed to measure the amount of selenium in the blood of patients with arthritis who live in a region where selenium intake is relatively high. The study included 101 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, 21 with rheumatoid arthritis that was in remission, 49 with osteoarthritis (a disease that destroys joint tissue), 20 with systemic lupus erythematosus (a connective tissue disease), 8 with fibrositis (inflammation of fibrous tissue), 19 with cancer of the pancreas, and 29 healthy volunteers. When blood samples were collected and the amount selenium measured, it was found that the patients with pancreatic cancer had the lowest amount of selenium in their blood. The patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis had lower blood levels of selenium than the healthy volunteers. It may be that low levels of selenium contribute to the development or progression of rheumatoid arthritis by modifying the effects of infections in people genetically predisposed. At the present time it is not clear whether increasing the amount of selenium in the diet of patients with rheumatoid arthritis would be beneficial. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Physiological aspects, Nutritional aspects, Trace elements in nutrition, Micronutrients, Selenium in human nutrition, Selenium (Nutrient)

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Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with methotrexate alone, sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine, or a combination of all three medications

Article Abstract:

A combination of disease-modifying drugs may be more effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis than either drug alone. Of 102 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 36 took methotrexate alone, 35 took sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine and 31 took all three drugs. Fifty patients successfully completed the two-year study, whose endpoint was 50% reductions in duration of morning stiffness and joint pain and swelling. Seventy-seven percent of those taking all three drugs reached this goal, compared with 40% taking sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine and 33% taking methotrexate. Thirty-seven patients did not achieve the study's goals and 13 dropped out because of side effects: seven who took methotrexate, three who took sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine and three who took all three drugs. All three drugs were more effective in reducing symptoms than either one alone with no increase in side effects.

Drug therapy, Antirheumatic agents

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HLA-DRB1 typing in rheumatoid arthritis: predicting response to specific treatments

Article Abstract:

Rheumatoid arthritis patients with a particular genetic profile may be more likely to respond to treatment with a three-drug disease modifying regimen. The HLA-DRB1 genes are associated with more severe arthritis, and may be predictive of treatment response. Researchers examined the genetic profiles of 84 rheumatoid arthritis patients and found that 94% of certain patients, called shared epitope positive patients, responded significantly to methotrexate-sulphasalazine-hydroxychloroquine treatment, compared to 32% of shared epitope negative patients.

Genetic aspects

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