Prolactin and Estradiol Profile in a Cohort of Colombian Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with multiorgan involvement and wide variability in presentation and course. Although it can appear at any age, women of childbearing age are primarily affected. This has led to the proposal of a hormonal role in the development of SLE. Among the main hormones shown to have immunomodulatory effects are estradiol, progesterone and prolactin. OBJECTIVES: To report the levels of estradiol and prolactin in SLE patients and establish the relationship between these levels and disease activity, and to determine whether the phases of the menstrual cycle influence the activity of SLE and its relationship to hormone levels. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we examined 60 women with SLE. We measured disease activity using SLEDAI and BILAG. We obtained peripheral blood samples to determine the levels of estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin. RESULTS: Patients' age ranged between 16 and 65 years and the mean disease duration was 5.5 years (0-20). SLE was active (SLEDAI > 6) in 13 patients and inactive in 47. Thirty patients were in a pre-ovulatory menstrual cycle phase, 13 in a post-ovulatory cycle, and 17 were menopausal. We found a significant association between C4 levels and disease activity (P = 0.01) and between estradiol levels and disease activity in the kidney (P = 0.04). We did not find hyperprolactinemia in any patient. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, we found an association between estradiol levels and organ-specific activity in the kidney. One may speculate as to whether our population might benefit from the implementation of anti-estrogen therapy for control of disease activity, particularly in the kidney.

Asociación entre los valores de Rantes y la clínica en pacientes con rinitis alérgica / Association between rantes values and the clinical aspect in patients with allergic rhinitis

Objetivo: Determinar los valores de Rantes, después de la exposición a ácaros, para evaluar su asociación con la escala ARIA, en el grupo de pacientes seleccionado. Diseño: Estudio de corte transversal. Materiales y métodos: Se incluyeron 17 pacientes que consultaron por rinitis alérgica en el Hospital de La Samaritana entre el 1 de julio del 2010 y el 1 julio del 2011, y que cumplieron los criterios de selección, de los cuales se obtuvieron 34 muestras de lavados nasales posteriores a provocación intranasal con ácaros. Resultados: Los pacientes mostraron mayor tendencia a pertenecer al grupo de síntomas de mayor severidad y frecuencia según la escala ARIA. Los valores de Rantes encontrados en lavados nasales tuvieron un promedio de 8,1 pg/ml (+/– 19DS). Conclusión: Se encontró una positividad en los valores de la citoquina CCL5 en los lavados nasales del 20% de los pacientes. El coeficiente de correlación obtenido muestra una asociación débil.

Objective: Determine the values of Rantes, after exposure to mites, to evaluate its association with ARIA scale in the group of selected patients. Design: Cross sectional survey. Materials and Methods: We included 17 patients presenting with allergic rhinitis at the Samaritan Hospital between July 1, 2010 and July 1, 2011, and met the selection criteria, of which 34 samples were obtained from nasal washes after intranasal challenge with mites. Results: Patients showed a greater tendency to belong to the group of symptoms of greater severity and frequency according to the ARIA scale. Rantes values found in nasal washes had an average of 8.1 pg/ml (+/– 19DS). Conclusions: Positivity was found in the values of the cytokine CCL5 in nasal washes of 20% of patients. The correlation coefficient shows a weak association.