PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - GUNNBJØRG HJELTNES
AU  - IVANA HOLLAN
AU  - ØYSTEIN FØRRE
AU  - ALLAN WIIK
AU  - TORSTEIN LYBERG
AU  - KNUT MIKKELSEN
AU  - STEFAN AGEWALL
TI  - Relations of Serum COMP to Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Endothelial Function in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Methotrexate and TNF-α Inhibitors
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.111401
DP  - 2012 Jul 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - 1341--1347
VI  - 39
IP  - 7
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/7/1341.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/7/1341.full
SO  - J Rheumatol2012 Jul 01; 39
AB  - Objective. To examine whether serum level of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (S-COMP) is related to methotrexate (MTX) or to MTX and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) combination treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA); and to investigate whether S-COMP is related to cardiovascular risk factors including endothelial dysfunction and level of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in patients with RA. Methods. Clinical and laboratory measures, including S-COMP and reactive hyperemic index (RHI), were examined in 55 consecutive patients with RA starting with either MTX (n = 34) or MTX and anti-TNF-α treatment (n = 21) at baseline, and after 6 weeks and 6 months. Results. S-COMP was similar in the 2 treatment regimens during followup. We found a positive relationship between S-COMP at baseline and the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs the last year preceding the study (p = 0.001), and a negative relation to current use of systemic glucocorticosteroids (p = 0.044). The nonsignificant change in S-COMP between baseline and the 6-month followup was positively and independently related to change in ACPA level (p = 0.009). There was no significant association between RHI and level of S-COMP at baseline. Conclusion. The cartilage turnover marker S-COMP did not change significantly after 6 months’ treatment with MTX with or without a TNF-α inhibitor in patients with RA. The positive association between S-COMP and ACPA suggests that these factors might interact, and could both be contributors to an unknown link between inflammation and cartilage destruction in patients with RA. S-COMP was not related to endothelial function in patients with RA, or to other cardiovascular risk factors studied. Clinical Trials registration number NCT00902005.