Objecive: to measure the levels of MCP-1, IL-6, and TNF-a in the serum and synovial fluid of a group of pa­tients with JRA, and to correlate these levels with the clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity.
Methods: Levels of MCP-1, IL-6, and TNF-a were evaluated by immu-no-assays in the serum and synovial fluid (SF) of 30 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) (16 with polyarticular JRA, 8 with pauciarticu-lar JRA, and 6 with systemic-onset JRA), age range: 6-13 years, and in 15 apparently healthy, age and sex-matched controls. Serum and synovi­al fluid cytokines levels were evaluat­ed in different JRA onset-types, and correlated with clinical and laboratory
parameters of disease activity.
Results: MCP-1 was significantly elevated in the serum (1021.7±181.9 pg/ml) and synovial fluid (1311.2±185.5 pg/ml) of patients with JRA compared with controls (473.7+56.4, p < 0.05 and 217.7±19.8, p < 0.001 respectively). IL-6 was sig­nificantly elevated in the serum and synovial fluid of patients compared with controls (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 re­spectively). Also, TNF-a was signifi­cantly elevated in the serum and sy­novial fluid of patients compared with controls (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 re­spectively). Levels were significantly higher in patients with systemic-onset JRA (s-JRA) compared with polyartic­ular and pauciarticular JRA,