Correlation of Serum IL-1β Level in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Disease Severity Parameters

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory, chronic disorder, characterized by prolonged inflammation of the synovial joints, with ultimate destruction of joints, high concentrations of IL-1β in the synovial fluid and serum RA patients correlated with RA incidence. This study was conducted to compare IL-1β concentration in serum from patients with RA and healthy controls with the correlation parameter being related to markers indicating disease severity. A case-control study enrolled 71 patients with RA and 46 healthy controls from an Iraqi Arab population. In the present study, the level of serum IL-1β was detected using a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay method of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). This study found a correlation between the serum level of IL-1β and DAS28-CRP severity among RA patients (p=0.065). Furthermore, the serum level of IL-1β was significantly increased in RA patients compared to the level noted in the healthy group (p=0.039). Moreover, the results demonstrated a very weak correlation between the IL-1β level with CRP, ESR, and ACCP (r=0.079, r=0.059, r=0.080), respectively. In conclusion, the current study showed a correlation between the serum level of IL-1β and RA disease severity (DAS28) among the Iraqi Arab population, additionally, the study noted a very weak correlation between the IL-1β level with CRP, ESR, and ACCP.