Evaluation of Relationship between Serum Levels of Inflammatory Factors and Clinical Symptoms in Females with Knee Osteoarthritis

ABSTRACT         Background and Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OS) is the most common type of arthritis and joint disease, especially in women. Proinflammatory cytokines, biochemical factors, specially matrix metalloproteinases, and reactive oxygen species play important roles in joint destruction in this disease. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate level of inflammatory factors and its relationship with clinical symptoms of OS in female patients.          Methods: The study was performed on female patients with knee OS, referring to healthcare centers of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. After measuring the weight and height of patients, clinical symptoms such as severity of pain and physical performance were evaluated using the Knee Injury and Osteopaedic Outcome Score questionnaire. Serum levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and hs-CRP in fasting blood samples were measured using ELISA kits and immunoturbidimetric assays.          Results: There was a significant association between level of IL-1β and score of pain. There was no significant relationship between the clinical symptoms and level of other inflammatory factors.           Conclusion:  The results of the present study showed that the increase in inflammatory factors is correlated with severity of pain in OS patients.          Keywords: Osteoarthritis Knee, Female, Inflammatory Markers.