RESUMEN
The aim of this study was to find out whether antikeratin antibodies [AKA] has an additional diagnostic and/or prognostic value when performed with rheumatoid factor [RF] in inflammatory and degenerative arthritis. We also assessed the level of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [ICAM-1] and correlated serum levels with clinical parameters of disease activity and severity. Moreover, we examined whether AKA have an association with circulating serum ICAM-1. Forty RA patients, 15 SLE patients, 15 OA patients and 15 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The occurrence of AKA reached 55% in RA while it did not exceed 13.5% in other groups. RA patients who were AKA positive suffered from significantly higher disease activity indices and degree of X-ray severity than RA patients who were AKA negative. Again, serum ICAM-1 was significantly higher in the AKA positive as compared to the AKA negative RA patients. Serum ICAM-1 levels were significantly higher in RA and SLE patients than in OA and controls [p<0.01]. Serum ICAM-1 levels correlated with disease activity in RA and SLE. None of the clinical parameters correlated with ICAM-1 serum levels in OA patients. Therefore, AKA was found to have a diagnostic and prognostic value in RA patients. Moreover, circulating serum ICAM-1 levels may act as a disease activity marker in RA and SLE patients