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Brain involvement in rheumatoid arthritis: A magnetic resonance spectroscopy study
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| Bart J. Emmer *, A. Egon van der Bijl, Tom W. J. Huizinga, Ferdinand C. Breedveld, Stefan C. A. Steens, Gerlof P. Th. Bosma, Mark A. van Buchem, Jeroen van der Grond |
| Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands |
| email: Bart J. Emmer (b.j.emmer@lumc.nl) |
*Correspondence to Bart J. Emmer, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
setDOI("ADOI=10.1002/art.24932")Funded by:
Abstract
Objective
Tumor necrosis factor
Methods
Single-voxel 1H-MRS of the centrum semiovale was performed on 35 RA patients (6 men and 29 women; mean ± SD age 51.8 ± 14.6 years) and 28 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects (9 men and 19 women; mean ± SD age 50.2 ± 10.4 years). None of the study subjects had any neurologic signs or symptoms. Clinical markers of disease activity were correlated with the 1H-MRS findings.
Results
Patients with active RA, as reflected by an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), had a significantly higher ratio of choline to creatine and a significantly lower ratio of N-acetylaspartate to choline than did patients with inactive RA, as reflected by a normal ESR. Moreover, the ratios of choline to creatine and NAA to choline were significantly correlated with the ESR after correction for age, sex, smoking status, handedness, alcohol consumption, medication use, and disease duration. Medication use had no additional effect on these associations.
Conclusion
Our data show that systemic inflammation in RA is associated with metabolic changes in the brain.