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Ann Rheum Dis 2007;66:558-559 doi:10.1136/ard.2006.062323
  • Letter

Improved insulin sensitivity by anti-TNFα antibody treatment in patients with rheumatic diseases

  1. Frank C Huvers1,
  2. Calin Popa2,
  3. Mihai G Netea3,
  4. Frank H J van den Hoogen4,
  5. Cees J Tack5
  1. 1Department of General Internal Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  2. 2Department of Rheumatology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  3. 3Department of General Internal Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  4. 4Department of Rheumatology, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  5. 5Department of General Internal Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  1. Correspondence to:
    Dr C Popa
    Department of Rheumatology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, P O Box 9101, Nijmegen 6500 HB, The Netherlands; c.popa{at}aig.umcn.nl
  • Accepted 10 October 2006

Insulin resistance is a key factor in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Adipocytokines, including tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin 6, leptin and adiponectin,1,2 are increasingly recognised as important regulators of both insulin sensitivity, as well as inflammation, and a dysregulation of their levels and/or functions has been shown in both obesity and rheumatoid arthritis.3 Further investigations have substantiated the important negative effects of TNFα on insulin-mediated glucose uptake and the development of insulin resistance.4 In this study, the influence of therapeutic TNFα blockade on insulin sensitivity was investigated in regularly treated patients with rheumatic diseases.

A group of eight patients who were non-diabetic and having various chronic inflammatory disorders (table 1) were investigated in an open prospective …

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