The aim of this study is to investigate the presence of insulin resistance (IR) in patients with untreated early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) and its relationship with adipokines, inflammatory cytokines, and treatment. In this prospective study, we enrolled 46 ERA patients with a disease duration of <1 year, and 45 sex-, age-, race-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls. Patients and controls with diabetes or a history of glucocorticoid (GC) or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) use were excluded. Patients were assessed at the time of diagnosis (visit 1) and after 6 months of treatment (visit 2). The main outcomes were homeostatic model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) and β-cell function (HOMA-β) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI). A multivariate regression analysis was performed to analyze IR adjusting according to lipids, body composition, physical activity, nutrition, and inflammatory cytokine and adipokine levels. The baseline HOMA-IR, HOMA-β, and QUICKI values were similar in both groups. However, patients showed lower levels of physical activity, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein. Moreover, the inflammatory cytokines and resistin concentrations were higher in patients than controls. Multivariate analysis indicated that BMI and baseline rheumatoid factor levels were positively associated with HOMA-IR and HOMA-β, and negatively with QUICKI. After DMARD treatment, patients showed improvements in inflammatory parameters and lipids whereas IR remained stable. Furthermore, adiponectin and resistin concentrations decreased slightly. Our data suggest that IR is not present in ERA patients either at diagnosis or at 6 months after treatment. However, symptom duration and fat mass appear to be related.
Keywords: Adipokines; DMARDs; Early rheumatoid arthritis; Insulin resistance.