Can Blood Samples Predict Arthritic Rheumatism?
Levels of inflammatory proteins, so-called cytokines, are elevated in the blood even before the onset of arthritic rheumatism. This means that such blood samples could be used to predict the development of the disease and thereby make it possible to prevent the pathological process, according to an article by Umea researcher Solbritt Rantapaa Dahlqvist and her associates in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism. The research team analyzed blood samples from 86 individuals who donated samples to the Medical Biobank before they developed arthritic rheumatism. Of these, 69 had submitted samples at the time they were developing the disease. Moreover, blood samples were analyzed from 256 population-based matched controls from the Medical Biobank. The concentrations of 30 different cytokines and cytokine-related factors in plasma were measured using a so-called multiplex system. The results show that individuals that later developed arthritic rheumatism had significantly elevated levels of mo
