Serum pentraxin 3 levels are negatively associated with carotid intima media thickness in non-obese rheumatoid arthritis patients

Abstract Background Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a long pentraxin that is supposed to participate in the inflammatory process and in atherosclerosis. Aim To study PTX3 serum levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to know if its serum levels may reflect disease activity and/or subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods PTX3 and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) were studied in 85 RA patients (83.5% females, median age of 59years old, median disease duration of 13years) along with its demographic, clinical, serological and lipid profile. For comparison PTX3 was measured in 85 healthy volunteers. Results PTX3 levels in RA patients were similar to controls (p=0.21) and did not correlate with inflammatory activity measured by ESR (p=0.39) CRP (p=0.18) and DAS28 (p=0.67). Serum PTX3 levels were higher in nonobese RA patients than in obese (BMI vs PTX3 with rho=−0.27; 95%IC=−0.46 to −0.06; p=0.009). In non-obese patients, PTX3 correlated negatively with carotid IMT (rho=−0.40; 95%IC=−0.66 to −0.06; p=0.01) but not in the obese ones (p=0.26). In the obese RA patients there was a negative correlation between PTX3 levels and LDL/HDL ratio (Rho=−0.29; 95%IC=−0.53–0.01; p=0.03). Conclusions PTX3 levels do not reflect inflammatory process in RA. However, it exerts a protective role in the process of atherogenesis in non-obese RA patients.