Evaluation of Interleukin-23 and Transforming Growth Factor-β in Iraqi Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis

This study emphasizes the significance of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory levels in Iraqi females with rheumatoid arthritis, the role of markers in disease treatment, and the need for balance in autoimmune conditions. Objectives: The study investigates the impact of inflammatory markers like IL-23 and TGF-β as anti-inflammatory markers on the development of rheumatoid arthritis in Iraqi females. Materials and Methods: A case-control study involving 118 female subjects aged 30-70years, who were divided into two groups: 71 RA patients and 47 healthy controls. All these patients were subjected to full history taking through clinical examination, and laboratory investigations in sera including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-23 and TGF-β levels were measured using an ELISA technique Results: The distribution of age groups is fairly similar across both groups, with a slight trend towards older ages in the patient group. Results were demonstrated that the patient group appears (69.4%) of patients were in the age range between 60-70 years as compared with control group (30.6%), Results were higher prevalence of obesity compared to the control group. All patients (100%) in the obesity category belong to the patient group, with none in the control group. The whole patients (100%) reported as a family history of the condition, whereas none (0%) in the control group, the mean ± SD difference of inflammation biomarkers for patients with RA patients showed an increasing range of IL-23 and TGF-β as compared to the healthy control groups. The mean ± SD levels of (CRP), (ESR) in RA which were significantly higher than that in control group. Receiver operating curve (ROC) was analysis for IL-23 levels indicate: statistically significant. Conclusion: IL-23, an inflammatory marker, may be elevated in RA patients, affecting RA pathophysiology. It can be used as a biomarker for RA pathogenesis evaluation, while TGF-β may contribute to RA development.