Sex-based differences in association between circulating T cell subsets and disease activity in untreated early rheumatoid arthritis patients
(2018) In Arthritis Research and Therapy 20(1).- Abstract
Background: It is not known if sex-based disparities in immunological factors contribute to the disease process in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Hence, we examined whether circulating T cell subset proportions and their association with disease activity differed in male and female patients with untreated early rheumatoid arthritis (ueRA). Methods: Proportions of T cell subsets were analyzed in peripheral blood from 72 ueRA DMARD- and corticosteroid-naïve patients (50 females and 22 males) and in 31 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Broad analysis of helper and regulatory CD4+ T cell subsets was done using flow cytometry. Disease activity in patients was assessed using DAS28, CDAI, swollen joint counts, tender joint counts,... (More)
Background: It is not known if sex-based disparities in immunological factors contribute to the disease process in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Hence, we examined whether circulating T cell subset proportions and their association with disease activity differed in male and female patients with untreated early rheumatoid arthritis (ueRA). Methods: Proportions of T cell subsets were analyzed in peripheral blood from 72 ueRA DMARD- and corticosteroid-naïve patients (50 females and 22 males) and in 31 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Broad analysis of helper and regulatory CD4+ T cell subsets was done using flow cytometry. Disease activity in patients was assessed using DAS28, CDAI, swollen joint counts, tender joint counts, CRP, and ESR. Results: Multivariate factor analyses showed that male and female ueRA patients display distinct profiles of association between disease activity and circulating T cell subset proportions. In male, but not female, ueRA patients Th2 cells showed a positive association with disease activity and correlated significantly with DAS28-ESR, CDAI, and swollen and tender joint counts. Likewise, proportions of non-regulatory CTLA-4+ T cells associated positively with disease activity in male patients only, and correlated with DAS28-ESR. In contrast, there was a negative relation between Th1Th17 subset proportions and disease activity in males only. The proportions of Th17 cells correlated positively with DAS28-ESR in males only, while proportions of Th1 cells showed no relation to disease activity in either sex. There were no significant differences in proportions of T cell subsets between the sexes in patients with ueRA. Conclusions: Our findings show sex-based differences in the association between T cell subsets and disease activity in ueRA patients, and that Th2 helper T cells may have a role in regulating disease activity in male patients.
(Less)
- author
- Aldridge, Jonathan ; Pandya, Jayesh M. ; Meurs, Linda ; Andersson, Kerstin LU ; Nordström, Inger ; Theander, Elke LU ; Lundell, Anna Carin and Rudin, Anna
- organization
- publishing date
- 2018-07-20
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Disease activity, Rheumatoid arthritis, Sex, T cells
- in
- Arthritis Research and Therapy
- volume
- 20
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 150
- publisher
- BioMed Central (BMC)
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85050299717
- pmid:30029616
- ISSN
- 1478-6354
- DOI
- 10.1186/s13075-018-1648-2
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d5c6c04d-6e4a-4c88-b8ad-733767ce2336
- date added to LUP
- 2018-08-20 10:57:02
- date last changed
- 2024-07-22 20:47:24
@article{d5c6c04d-6e4a-4c88-b8ad-733767ce2336, abstract = {{<p>Background: It is not known if sex-based disparities in immunological factors contribute to the disease process in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Hence, we examined whether circulating T cell subset proportions and their association with disease activity differed in male and female patients with untreated early rheumatoid arthritis (ueRA). Methods: Proportions of T cell subsets were analyzed in peripheral blood from 72 ueRA DMARD- and corticosteroid-naïve patients (50 females and 22 males) and in 31 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Broad analysis of helper and regulatory CD4<sup>+</sup> T cell subsets was done using flow cytometry. Disease activity in patients was assessed using DAS28, CDAI, swollen joint counts, tender joint counts, CRP, and ESR. Results: Multivariate factor analyses showed that male and female ueRA patients display distinct profiles of association between disease activity and circulating T cell subset proportions. In male, but not female, ueRA patients Th2 cells showed a positive association with disease activity and correlated significantly with DAS28-ESR, CDAI, and swollen and tender joint counts. Likewise, proportions of non-regulatory CTLA-4<sup>+</sup> T cells associated positively with disease activity in male patients only, and correlated with DAS28-ESR. In contrast, there was a negative relation between Th1Th17 subset proportions and disease activity in males only. The proportions of Th17 cells correlated positively with DAS28-ESR in males only, while proportions of Th1 cells showed no relation to disease activity in either sex. There were no significant differences in proportions of T cell subsets between the sexes in patients with ueRA. Conclusions: Our findings show sex-based differences in the association between T cell subsets and disease activity in ueRA patients, and that Th2 helper T cells may have a role in regulating disease activity in male patients.</p>}}, author = {{Aldridge, Jonathan and Pandya, Jayesh M. and Meurs, Linda and Andersson, Kerstin and Nordström, Inger and Theander, Elke and Lundell, Anna Carin and Rudin, Anna}}, issn = {{1478-6354}}, keywords = {{Disease activity; Rheumatoid arthritis; Sex; T cells}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{07}}, number = {{1}}, publisher = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}}, series = {{Arthritis Research and Therapy}}, title = {{Sex-based differences in association between circulating T cell subsets and disease activity in untreated early rheumatoid arthritis patients}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13075-018-1648-2}}, doi = {{10.1186/s13075-018-1648-2}}, volume = {{20}}, year = {{2018}}, }