IL-33 and soluble ST2 levels as novel predictors for remission and progression of carotid plaque in early rheumatoid arthritis: A prospective study

Abstract Objectives To study the association between the baseline IL-33 and soluble ST2 (sST2) levels with disease remission and progression of carotid atherosclerosis in early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) patients. Methods A total of 98 ERA patients were enrolled. Disease activity and the presence of carotid plaque were evaluated at baseline and 12 months later. Plasma IL-33 and sST2 levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results Baseline IL-33 and sST2 levels were associated with inflammatory markers and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Overall, 44(45%), 18(18%), and 21(21%) patients achieved remission based on 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28), Boolean, and simplified disease activity score (SDAI) criteria at 12 months, respectively. Patients with detectable IL-33 at baseline were less likely to achieve DAS28 ( P = 0.010) and SDAI remission ( P = 0.021), while a lower baseline sST2 level was able to predict DAS28, Boolean, and SDAI remission ( P = 0.005, 0.001, and