Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common chronic systemic autoimmune relapsing disease characterized by joint inflammation. Beside arthritis leading to progressive joint damage and loss of function, RA is also associated to extraarticular inflammatory conditions such as interstitial lung disease (ILD). This one develops in 30% of all RA patients with a median survival expectancy of 3 to 10 years once symptomatic. Unfortunately, there is no medical care recommendation so far as the pathophysiology is unknown. However, ILD share many similarities with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Autotaxin (ATX), due to its lysophospholipase activity, produces a bioactive lipid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) under inflammation. LPA has pleiotropic actions inducing cell proliferation, survival, motility and differentiation. Increased ATX and LPA levels have been detected in synovial fluid of RA patients and in IPF patients. ATX is also currently the target for a phase 3 clinical trial in IPF. Given the previous described role of ATX/LPA axis in arthritis and inflammation-induced bone loss in RA and the similarities between RA-ILD and IPF, the investigators hypothesized that ATX/LPA axis may be also an attractive drug target for this pulmonary condition in RA and therefore that ATX and LPA may be increased in sputum from RA patients with ILD in comparison with sputum from RA patients without ILD.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
Determination of ATX and LPA levels in plasma and sputum from RA-ILD patients ("cases") and in plasma and sputum from RA patients without ILD ("controls") after sputum induction using hypertonic saline inhalation
Hôpital Lyon Sud
Pierre-Bénite, France
RECRUITINGATX and LPA levels in sputum from RA patients with ILD in comparison with sputum from RA patients without ILD
All the samples will be frozen and ATX and LPA levels will be assessed in the plasma and sputum at the same time, at the end of the recruitment.
Time frame: Month 30
Correlation between ATX and LPA levels and severity of RA-ILD estimated by tomodensitometry
Determine the correlation between ATX and LPA levels and the severity of CT scan pulmonary involvement\*. \*Diffuse interstitial lung disease is defined as an attack compatible with the thoracic scanner in thin sections according to international criteria with or without associated clinical signs.
Time frame: Month 24
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