Serum and Synovial Level of IL-17 in Primary Knee Osteoarthritis and its Relation to Disease Severity

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent form of arthritis in adults associated with high socioeconomic burden and is a major cause of disability in elderly, it should be considered a syndrome rather than a single disease in which structural changes of hyaline articular cartilage, subchondral bone, ligaments, capsule, synovium, muscles, and periarticular changes are involved. The knee is the most commonly affected joint. Objective To measure serum and synovial level of interleukin 17 in patients with primary knee OA and correlate its level with functional status and disease severity. Patients and Methods This study included twenty adult patients diagnosed with primary knee osteoarthritis according to EULAR evidences based criteria for knee osteoarthritis diagnosis, aged from 55 to 80 years. The patients were recruited from Rheumatology, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine Department of Ain Shams University Hospitals, and twenty apparently healthy age and sex matched subjects as a control group, the study was conducted from June 2021 to December 2021. Results In our study we correlate IL-17 levels in serum and synovial fluid with disease severity and functional status of the patients based on clinical examination, radiological investigations (using K/L scale) and VAS & WOMAC scoring system. Conclusion IL-17 levels in serum and synovial fluid may predict functional status and degree of progression of an osteoarthritic patient. This may open a window of opportunity for early intervention with IL-17 antagonists for prevention of joint destruction. Recommendations Further studies with higher numbers of knee osteoarthritic patients are recommended to detect IL-17 role in osteoarthritis and verify our results.