Abstract

Deficient cytokine control moulates temporomandibular joint pain in Rheumatoid arthritis

Author(s): Neveen Mahmoud Ahmed

The aim is to investigate how endogenous cytokine control of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) influences TMJ pain in relation to the role of anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A high concentration of TNF in relation to the concentration of TNFsRII in TMJ synovial fluid was associated with TMJ pain on posterior palpation on maximum mouth opening. The ACPA concentration correlated significantly to the TNF concentration, but not to the TNFsRII concentration, indicating that increased inflammatory activity is mainly caused by an insufficient increase in anti-inflammatory mediators. That indicates that TMJ pain on palpation in patients with RA is related to a deficiency in local cytokine control that contributes to increased inflammatory activity.