PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jan Leipe
AU  - Markus A Schramm
AU  - Mathias Grunke
AU  - Michael Baeuerle
AU  - Claudia Dechant
AU  - Axel P Nigg
AU  - Matthias N Witt
AU  - Volker Vielhauer
AU  - Christiane S Reindl
AU  - Hendrik Schulze-Koops
AU  - Alla Skapenko
TI  - Interleukin 22 serum levels are associated with radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis
AID  - 10.1136/ard.2011.152074
DP  - 2011 Aug 01
TA  - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
PG  - 1453--1457
VI  - 70
IP  - 8
4099  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/70/8/1453.short
4100  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/70/8/1453.full
SO  - Ann Rheum Dis2011 Aug 01; 70
AB  - Objectives To study the role of interleukin 22 (IL-22) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods IL-22 serum levels were measured in patients with early, treatment-naive RA (n=49) and in 45 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals as controls. Patients were assessed clinically and radiographically at baseline and followed up for 2 years. Correlations of IL-22 serum levels were sought with parameters of disease activity, serological markers, demographic factors and the incidence of erosions. IL-22 production by peripheral blood T cells was investigated by intracellular flow cytometry. Results 24 of 49 patients with RA demonstrated elevated IL-22 levels compared with the range of healthy controls. At baseline, a high percentage of these patients (8/24, 33%) demonstrated bone erosions, whereas only one patient (4%) from the group with normal IL-22 had erosions. During the 2 years of follow-up, six additional patients with increased IL-22 at baseline developed erosions. In contrast, none of the patients in whom IL-22 levels were normal developed erosions despite similar treatment regimens. Multivariate regression analysis accounting for other parameters predictive for erosions, such as the presence of rheumatoid factor or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies and disease activity, showed that elevated IL-22 baseline levels were independently and significantly associated with erosive RA. Cellular analysis demonstrated enhanced expression of IL-22 from CD4 T cells in RA. Conclusion IL-22 is elevated in the serum of half of the patients with RA. Elevated serum IL-22 allows discrimination between patients with different radiographic progression and indicates a possible involvement of IL-22 in the pathophysiology of RA.