Serum levels of adipocytokines in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are chronic inflammatuary diseases. Atherosclerosis is also accepted as a chronic inflammatuary process. In SLE and RA, early and accelerated atherosclerosis subsequent cardiovascular diseases can be frequently observed and cause increased morbidity and mortality. Adiponectin which has insulin sensitizer, anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatuary effects and visfatin, an insülin sensitizer, has been considered to be effective in inflammatuary conditions are adipocytokines. The aims of this study were to analyse the levels of adiponectin and visfatin and to determine their possible effects on atherosclerosis in the SLE and RA patients.Twenty six patients with SLE, 29 patients with RA and 29 healhty volunteers (HC) were included in this study. In all the participants, serum levels of TNF-?, IL- 6, adiponectin and visfatin were analysed in addition to routine laboratory parameters and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured.There was no significant difference among all the study groups in terms of body mass index, fasting blood glucose and lipid profiles. In the RA group, the mean age was higher compared to the SLE and HC groups (p<0.001 for both) and sistolic and diastolic blood pressures were also higher compared to the only HC group (p<0.05 for both). In the SLE and RA groups, the levels of TNF-? (p<0.05 for both), IL-6 (p<0.05 for both) and IMT (p<0.001 for both) were higher when compared with HC group. In the SLE group, the level of adiponectin was higher than the RA and HC groups (p<0.001 for both), and in the RA group the level of visfatin (p<0.001 for both) and IMT (p<0.05, p<0.001 respectively) were higher than the SLE and HC groups. Moreover, HOMA-IR was higher in the RA group than HC group (p<0.01).In conclusion, in the SLE and RA groups, IMT, the preclinical marker of atherosclerosis, increased and this increase was more marked in the RA group. It is possible that the increase of adiponectin which has insulin sensitizer and antiatherogenic effects in the patients with SLE may protect the atherosclerotic process. We suggest that the increased level of visfatin in the patients with RA may be caused by its proinflammatory feature.Key words: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Adiponectin, Visfatin, Intima-Media Thickness.