Ann Rheum Dis 1997;56:323-325 ( May )

Concise reports

Serum concentrations of  tocopherol,  carotene, and retinol preceding the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus G W Comstock,^a A E Burke,^a S C Hoffman,^a K J Helzlsouer,^a A Bendich,^b A T Masi,^c E P Norkus,^d R L Malamet,^e M E Gershwin^f

^a Department of Epidemiology, School of Hygiene and Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA , ^b Human Nutrition Research, Hoffmann-LaRoche, Paramus, New Jersey, USA , ^c Department of Medicine, The University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, Illinois, USA , ^d Biomedical Research, Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA , ^e Rheumatology Practice, Hagerstown, Maryland, USA , ^f Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, California, USA

Correspondence to: Dr G W Comstock, Training Center for Public Health Research, Box 2067, Hagerstown, MD 21742-2067, USA.

Accepted for publication 11 February 1997

OBJECTIVESBecause oxidative damage has been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, this study was designed to see if serum concentrations of  tocopherol,  carotene, and retinol, substances believed to be involved in the prevention or repair of oxidative damage, might be lower among persons who develop rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus than among those who do not.
METHODSFor this prospective case-control study, persons with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus that developed two to 15 years after donating blood for a serum bank in 1974 were designated as cases. For each case, four controls were selected from the serum bank donors, matched for race, sex, and age. Stored serum samples from cases and controls were assayed for  tocopherol,  carotene, and retinol.
RESULTSCases of both diseases had lower serum concentrations of  tocopherol,  carotene, and retinol in 1974 than their matched controls. For rheumatoid arthritis, the difference for  carotene (29%) was statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONSThese findings support those of a previous study that low antioxidant status is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis. They suggest a similar association for systemic lupus erythematosus.

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© 1997 by Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
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