Fetuin-a, Interleukin-18, Endothelin-1 and sICAM-1 levels andtheir relationship with anti-TNF-α treatment in patients withankylosing spondylitis

Objective: is to compare Fetuin-A (Fet-A), Interleukin-18 (IL-18), Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (sICAM-1) levels in Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) patients and healthy controls; and also is to compare Fet-A, ET-1, IL-18, sICAM-1 levels of Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (anti-TNF-α) treated and non-treated patient groups. Method: The study included 100 AS and 49 healthy control group who applied to Gaziantep University Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Rheumatology outpatient clinic. Clinical and sociodemographic data of the patients were recorded. Fetuin-A, IL-18, ET- 1 and sICAM-1 levels of the patient and control groups were investigated by Enzyme-linked İmmunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiological Index (BASRI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life Scale (ASQoL), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) scores were applied. Results: There were no significant differences between patient and control groups in terms of age, sex and disease duration. The levels of ET-1, IL-18 and sICAM-1 were significantly higher in patients who did not treated with anti-TNF compared to control and anti-TNF treating patients. Fetuin-A levels of the group that did not take biological treatment were significantly higher than the taking biological treatment group. In the evaluation between the clinical evaluation and laboratory measurements of the patient groups; VAS, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESH), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), BASDAI, BASFI, ASQoL, HAQ levels of the group that did not treated TNF-α blockade were statistically found to be significantly higher than the treated Anti-TNF-α group. In the BASMI and BASRI measurements of the groups, though the measurements of the one that did not take biological treatment group were higher, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the comparison of clinical and blood parameters characteristics of HLA-B27 positive and negative groups. Conclusion: The fact that ET-1, IL-18 and sICAM-1 levels were significantly higher in patients who did not treated Anti-TNF-α compared to controls and those treating biological treatment suggests that these cytokines can be used both in diagnosis and in the follow-up of the disease. There was no significant difference between HLA-B27 positive and negative patients. No significant difference was observed in patients grouped by gender