Assessment of Relationship between IL-6 Serum Level with Increased Risk for Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic in-flammatory autoimmune disease (AID), affecting about 1.2% of the adults all over the world. It has been demonstrated that 17% of RA cases showed signs of depression, and inflamma-tion has an essential role in the pathophysiology of depression, including IL-6. Aim of Study: To assess the relationship between IL-6 se-rum level with increased risk for depression and anxiety in cas-es with RA. Patients and Methods: Forty-three consecutive RA cases and 43 age and sex matched group were invited to participate in the study. All participants were subjected to history taking and general examination. Clinical related RA features and DAS28 were assessed in the RA group. Anxiety and depression in RA group was assessed using HAM-A, HAM-D questionnaires. In addition, the RA patients completed HAQ-DI questionnaire to assess the functional status. The serum level of IL-6 was meas-ured in both groups. Results: Depression and anxiety were prevalent in RA cas-es. RA cases were associated with a significant increase in IL-6 compared to the controls. Patient factors accompanied by high-er anxiety and depression scores include younger age and fe-male gender. Depression and anxiety scores were significantly correlated with the HAQ-DI score. In terms of RA, a significant correlation was recorded between depression score and anxiety score. Both depression and anxiety scores had a positive corre-lation with serum IL-6 level in RA patients (p<0.05). Conclusion: Depression and anxiety are common in RA patients, particularly in younger and female patients. These psychological conditions are significantly correlated with IL-6 serum levels, suggesting that inflammation plays a role in their pathogenesis.