Correlation Between Serum IL-1β Level in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Some Clinical and Sociodemographic Characteristics

IL-1β is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine, mainly produced by activated macrophages and monocytes. It induces adhesion molecules, promotes increased leukocyte infiltration, and releases other pro-inflammatory mediators. High levels of IL-1β have been found in RA patients, both in synovial fluid and serum. This study aimed to examine the serum level of IL-1β in RA patients compared with controls and their association with clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. Seventy-one patients with RA and forty-six healthy controls were recruited from the Iraqi Arab population in this case-control study. Measurement of the serum IL-1β level was done in this study using an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay kit. According to the analysis, these results indicated that there is a significant increase in the serum level of IL-1β in RA patients compared to that in the control, (p = 0.039). Also, IL-1β concentration in RA smoker patients increased significantly compared to RA non-smoker patients (p=0.045). In conclusion, serum IL-1β levels were significantly associated with RA disease in the Iraqi Arab population and may regarded as a diagnostic marker for RA diagnosis especially in smokers’ patients.