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Abstract

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, deforming arthritis that can lead to disabilities and poor quality of life. Cytokines produced by inflammatory cells play a pivotal role in synovial inflammation and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis; they are the final mediators and/or regulators of inflammatory process. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess serum IL-15 and IL-17 levels in a sample of patients with RA and to evaluate the correlation between their levels and various clinical, laboratory parameters of RA disease activity and severity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A case – control study was carried out from January 2013 till October 2013. It was conducted on 80 RA patients who attended Basra General Hospital outpatient rheumatology clinic. Eighty apparently healthy adults, age and sex matched, were also included as control group. Peripheral blood samples were collected from both patients and controls and used for estimation of serum IL-15, IL-17 and anti-CCP antibodies by ELISA, RF and CRP by slide agglutination test and ESR by Westergren method. RA activity was measured using disease activity score28 (DAS-28). RESULTS: RA patients showed significantly higher serum IL-15 and IL-17 levels than controls (P

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