Zhila Ellis, Ph.D., a member of the Hendrix laboratory, outlines the Hendrix lab's plea for more investigations in an article appearing in the February issue of BioDrugs. JRA is a chronic inflammatory disease in children, affecting mostly girls. The prevalence of JRA in females suggests that sex steroids may play a role in the condition. For more than 50 years, many researchers have believed that hormones play some part in RA, and numerous studies have been conducted. Ellis and Hendrix suggested that previous studies in this area have been hampered by the lack of access to sufficient numbers of matched patient blood and tissue samples.
Synovial fluid is a lubricant in joints, and serum is the fluid portion of the blood.
The investigators then compared the hormone levels in the synovial fluid and serum to the level found in the serum of a control group of subjects. The researchers did not look at the synovial fluid from the control group because it would be almost impossible to sample the small amount found in non-inflamed joints. In rheumatoid arthritis, the joint lining swells, invading surrounding tissues, and producing chemical substances that attack and destroy the joint surface. This commonly occurs in joints in the hands and feet. Larger joints such as hips, knees, and elbows also may be involved.