Changes of IL-15 and IL-18 levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its clinical significance

Objective To investigate the changes of interleukin-15 and interleukin-18 levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA) and its clinical significance.Methods 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA group),20 patients with osteoarthritis(OA) and 10 healthy subjects(served as two control groups) were enrolled in the investigation.Interleukin-15 and interleukin-18 levels were determined by double antibodies sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The levels of rheumatoid factor and C-reactive protein were detected as well.Results The levels of interleukin-15,interleukin-18 and rheumatoid factor in RA patients were significantly higher than those in two control groups.In contrat,the level of C-reactive protein in the three groups showed no significant difference.Conclusion Interleukin-15 and interleukin-18 play an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis.Blocking the effects of interleukin-15 and interleukin-18 may give a new hope in treatment of RA.