BIOMARKERS FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IN TEXTILE WORKERS an‎d THE ROLE OF SEX HORMONES

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common systemic chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown origin. There was an evidence of increased rate of RA in textile workers, and was higher among women. Fifty two textile workers (have worked for more than two years) and sixty two control subjects of both sexes were included in the study. The studied biomarkers of RA were rheumatoid factor (RF), specific immunoglobulins (IgM-RF and IgA-RF), anti cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP), C- reactive protein (CRP) and antinuclear antibodies (ANA), in addition to measurement of the sex hormones (estradiol, testosterone, and prolactin) in the two groups. The most prominent symptom among the examined workers was painful big joints. The percent of textile workers with positive CRP was significantly higher compared to their controls, but there was no significant difference according to the total RF positive test. The levels of ANA, IgA RF and anti-CCP of the workers were significantly higher than their controls. There is no significant difference between the workers and their controls regarding sex hormones.