Levels of soluble osteoclast-associated receptor (sOSCAR) in rheumatoid arthritis: link to disease severity and cardiovascular risk

Osteoclast-associated receptor (OSCAR) is a costimulatory receptor implicated in osteoclast differentiation, with soluble and membranous forms.1 Its natural ligand appears to be collagen.2 Since the involvement of OSCAR in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been suggested,3 the present work assessed the levels of soluble OSCAR (sOSCAR) in RA and a possible link with disease severity and risk of cardiovascular events (CVE).4 sOSCAR was measured by indirect ELISA in 136 plasma samples from RA patients randomly selected from a large database according to the level of joint destruction at a 1:1 ratio and paired for sex and age. Clinical markers of disease severity and incidence of CVE are summarised in table 1. CVE (myocardial infarction, acute limb ischaemia, stoke, etc) were collected from the hospital chart and with a questionnaire to the patient and/or family physician. Only patients with CVE during the RA course were included. …