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Serum levels of osteoprotegerin and receptor activator of nuclear factor -kappaB ligand in children with early juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A 2-year prospective controlled study
Pediatric Rheumatology, 12/09/2010
Clinical Article
Lien G et al. – To elucidate the potential role of OPG and RANKL in JIA the authors determined serum levels of OPG and RANKL in patients with early JIA compared to healthy children, and prospectively explored changes in relation to radiographic score, bone and lean mass, severity of the disease, and treatment. The data supports that levels of OPG are lower in patients with JIA compared to healthy children, and higher levels of RANKL is associated with more serious disease. RANKL was a significant negative predictor of lean mass in patients with JIA.
Methods- 90 children with early oligoarticular or polyarticular JIA (ages 6-18 years; mean disease duration 19.4 months) and 90 healthy children individually matched for age, sex, race, and county of residence, examined at baseline and 2-year follow-up. OPG and RANKL quantified by enzyme-immunoassay
- Data analyzed with use of t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression analyses
- Serum OPG was significantly lower in patients than controls at baseline, and there was a trend towards higher RANKL and a lower OPG/RANKL ratio
- Patients with polyarthritis had significantly higher increments in RANKL from baseline to follow-up, compared to patients with oligoarthritis
- RANKL was significant negative predictor for increments in total body lean mass
- Patients who were receiving corticosteroids (CS) or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) at follow-up had higher OPG/RANKL ratio compared with patients who did not receive this medication
