Factors correlated with improvement of endothelial dysfunction during rituximab therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Figures & data

Table 1 Clinical parameters of the patients at baseline and after treatment with RTX

Parameters	Baseline	After 6 months of treatment	After 12 months of treatment	After 24 months treatment	P value
Tender joint count	6.88 ± 1.99	2.7 ± 0.35	3.1 ± 0.48	3.1 ± 1	<0.001
Swollen joint count	5.15 ± 1.64	1.5 ± 0.16	1.8 ± 0.29	2.1 ± 1	<0.001
Global health assessment	49.6 ± 14.2	17.1 ± 2.48	10.9 ± 1.63	10.0 ± 1.2	<0.001
Ritchie’s index	11.8 ± 3.2	4.2 ± 0.52	4.5 ± 0.65	5.3 ± 2.5	<0.001
DAS44	5.78 ± 0.8	3.9 ± 0.17	4.0 ± 0.20	3.7 ± 0.2	<0.01
DAS28	5.84 ± 0.8	3.9 ± 0.16	3.9 ± 0.21	3.6 ± 0.1	<0.01
DAS-CRP	5.05 ± 0.9	3.1 ± 0.16	3.0 ± 0.13	3.1 ± 0.4	<0.01
HAQ	2.24 ± 0.44	1.1 ± 0.08	1.1 ± 0.06	0.8 ± 0.12	<0.01

Note: Mean values ± SD.

Abbreviations: RTX, rituximab; DAS28, 28-joint disease activity score; DAS44, 44-joint disease activity score; DAS-CRP, DAS C-reactive protein; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire.

Table 2 Laboratory parameters at baseline and at different times after RTX therapy

Parameters	T0	T6	T12	T24	P value
ESR mm/h	63.6 ± 28.0	47.6 ± 4.54	45.5 ± 6.93	21 ± 0.5	<0.001
CRP mg/dL	2.5 ± 1.8	1.9 ± 0.43	1.2 ± 0.24	1.3 ± 0.4	<0.01
CD3+ cells/μL	1343 ± 779	1532 ± 119	1399 ± 211	1219 ± 100.5	ns
CD3+/CD4+ cells/μL	993 ± 653	1181 ± 115	1082 ± 182	817 ± 114	ns
CD3+/CD8+ cells/μL	335 ± 185	349 ± 25.2	332.5 ± 59.5	338 ± 27	ns
CD19+ cells/μL	122 ± 85	19 ± 4.16	17.5 ± 11.4	41.5 ± 27.4	<0.01
CD20+ cells/μL	109 ± 68	16.8 ± 3.8	24.2 ± 7.4	40 ± 24.2	<0.01
CD19+/CD38+ cells/μL	82 ± 54	18.6 ± 3.9	26.9 ± 7.45	40.5 ± 22.9	<0.01
CD45+Ro+ cells/μL	333 ± 232	327 ± 41.2	252 ± 18.3	219.4 ± 23.5	ns
CD45+Ra+ cells/μL	248 ± 231	290 ± 25.3	255 ± 18.2	218.7 ± 23.1	ns
CD3-CD16+/CD56+ cells/μL	350 ± 302	317.7 ± 46.3	329.6 ± 55.1	266.8 ± 46.6	ns
Anti-CC-P U/mL	127 ± 130	123.2 ± 22	64.9 ± 28	55.9 ± 54.2	<0.01
RF IgM U/mL	318 ± 590	144.8 ± 43.6	98 ± 36.6	64.8 ± 30.8	<0.01
RF IgA U/mL	101 ± 154	93.4 ± 27.5	31.8 ± 8.5	25.1 ± 8.15	<0.01
RF IgG U/mL	120 ± 170	51.1 ± 13.7	40.9 ± 12	22 ± 6.1	<0.01
Free light κ mg/dL	3.15 ± 2	4.4 ± 1.26	6.2 ± 1.6	6.7 ± 1.6	ns
Free light λ mg/dL	2.5 ± 1.8	4.5 ± 1.36	6.4 ± 1.61	9.3 ± 4.5	ns
κ/λ ratio	1.2 ± 0.4	1.2 ± 0.11	1 ± 0.9	0.9 ± 0.09	ns
IgM mg/dL	164 ± 91	183 ± 29	134 ± 20.4	96.3 ± 13.7	<0.01
IgG mg/dL	1364 ± 465	1262 ± 80.4	1128 ± 110	874 ± 72	<0.01
IgA mg/dL	284 ± 22	255 ± 17	238 ± 36	198 ± 22	<0.01
TNFα pg/mL	44.4 ± 7.4	42.1 ± 10.8	28.6 ± 6.9	28.6 ± 12.5	<0.01
IL-6 pg/mL	7.5 ± 1.6	8.2 ± 2.3	4.6 ± 1.2	4.4 ± 1.2	<0.01
IL-10 pg/mL	2.3 ± 0.4	2.3 ± 0.5	2.2 ± 0.2	0.7 ± 0.1	<0.05
IL-8 pg/mL	3.1 ± 0.4	4.4 ± 0.5	3.1 ± 0.4	2.2 ± 1.2	<0.05

Abbreviations: RTX, rituximab; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP, C-reactive protein; Anti-CC-P, anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies; RF, rheumatoid factor; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; IL, interleukin; T0, baseline; T6, 6 months; T12, 12 months; T24, 24 months; ns, not significant.

Figure 1 Correlations between FMD% and disease activity scores DAS-DAS28.

Abbreviations: FMD, flow-mediated vasodilatation; FMD%, percent change in FMD; DAS, disease activity score; DAS28, 28-joint disease activity score.