Correlation Between Serum Hyaluronan and Disease
Activity and Severity in Thai Patients with Rheumatoid
Arthritis
WORAW IT LOUTHRENOO, M.D.*, PRACHYA KONGTAWELERT,Ph.D.**,
CHATE SIVASOMBOON,M.D.***, WARAPORN SUKITA WUT, B.Sc.*
Affiliation : * Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine,
** Department of Biochemistry,
*** Division of Diagnositic Radiology, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai
50200, Thailand.
AbstractSerum hyaluronan (HA) concentration was quantified using an ELISA-based assay with
biotinylated hyaluronan binding proteins, and correlated with the clinical and laboratory variables
in 100 consecutive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (mean ± SD age and duration of disease of
50.1 ± 12.5 and 7.9 ± 6.6 years respectively). Thirty-four patients received prednisonole at an
average dose of 5.0 mg/day. The correlations were good between the serum HA level and the joint
swollen scores (r = 0.26, p = 0.04), joint space narrowing scores (r = 0.25, p = 0.03), joint erosion
scores (r = 0.26, p = 0.03), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.31, p < 0.01) in RA patients
who did not take prednisolone. These correlations were diminished in those who received predni
solone, although their disease was more severe. It might be possible that corticosteroids could
decrease inflammation of the joint, thus interfering with the correlations. It was concluded that
the serum HA level is a useful marker for the activity and severity of disease in patients with
RA.
Keywords : Rheumatoid Arthritis, Disease Activity, Hyaluronan, Hyaluronic Acid
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