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More anti-type 2 collagen antibodies found in patients with chronic gouty arthritis
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Compared with controls, patients with chronic gouty arthritis had a higher level of anti-type 2 collagen antibodies, according to study findings.
“We postulate that, during development of chronic arthritis, gouty patients develop immune responses to type 2 collagen, which may be involved in progression to non-remitting arthritis,” Hyun Ah Kim, MD, PhD, in the Division of Rheumatology at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, and colleagues wrote. They added, “We postulated that gout patients who have [anti collagen type 2] anti-C2 antibodies may have different clinical characteristics from patients who do not, and the level of serum anti-C2 may correlate with severity of joint destruction.”
They defined chronic gouty arthritis as crystal-confirmed gout in patients with no pain-free intercritical period and who did not have other forms of chronic arthritis. The control group comprised of age-matched patients with gout who had acute gouty attacks and intercritical periods. The positive control group comprised of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The researchers quantified anti-C2 antibodies using a human IgG anti-C2 antibody assay kit. Afterward, they looked for associations between anti-C2 levels and clinical parameters.
They identified 15 patients with chronic gouty arthritis. The researchers found the anti-C2 level to be significantly higher in those with chronic gout compared with controls. However, they found no difference during acute attacks and during the intercritical periods. In addition, five patients with chronic gouty arthritis had anti-C2 antibody levels higher than 200 AU/mL vs. one patient in the control group. Of four patients with active RA, two had anti-C2 antibody levels higher than 200 U/mL. In addition, patients with tophi had significantly higher anti-C2 levels than those without tophi. However, patients who demonstrated radiographic erosion had higher anti-C2 levels than those without this feature.
“The mechanism of generation of an immune response to type 2 collagen in RA is postulated to feature breakdown of cartilage and exposure of cells of the immune system to collagens,” the researchers wrote. They added, “Immune complexes containing antibodies to C2 can, in turn, induce production of inflammatory cytokines, triggering a vicious cycle of joint damage.” – by Will Offit
Reference: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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