Inflammatory Biomarkers and Disease Activity in Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients Treated with Infliximab
Author Information
Author(s): Sudha Visvanathan, Christoph Wagner, J C Marini, David Baker, T Gathany, J Han, D van der Heijde, J Braun
Primary Institution: Centocor Research and Development, Inc.
Hypothesis
The study aims to evaluate the relationship between biomarker levels and disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis after treatment with infliximab.
Conclusion
Infliximab treatment resulted in significant reductions in inflammatory biomarkers and improved disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Supporting Evidence
- Significantly greater reductions in IL-6, VEGF, and CRP were observed in the infliximab group compared to placebo.
- High baseline levels of IL-6 and CRP were associated with better clinical responses after treatment.
- Reductions in IL-6 were significantly associated with improvements in disease activity and spinal inflammation.
Takeaway
This study shows that a medicine called infliximab helps reduce inflammation and improve symptoms in people with a disease called ankylosing spondylitis.
Methodology
Patients with ankylosing spondylitis were randomly assigned to receive either infliximab or placebo, with biomarker levels measured at multiple time points.
Limitations
The study was not powered to evaluate correlations between changes in inflammatory markers and clinical measures, and many patients had undetectable IL-6 levels.
Participant Demographics
The majority of participants were men with a mean disease duration of approximately 11 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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