ArticleBMC immunology2026
The clinical significance of serum complement fibroblast growth factor 21 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Article in BMC immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to assess serum fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) levels and explore their clinical significance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
methodsA total of 187 patients with RA, who were treated at Xuzhou Central Hospital between January 2023 and December 2024, were enrolled in this study. Based on carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) measurements, they were categorized into a plaque group (n = 118) and a plaque-free group (n = 69). Additionally, 139 healthy individuals undergoing routine physical examinations were recruited as healthy controls (HC). Clinical data were collected from all participants, including lipid profiles, HOMA-IR, ESR, CRP, RF, anti-CCP antibody levels, and serum FGF-21 concentrations. We analyzed the associations between serum FGF-21 levels and both disease activity and atherosclerotic status in RA patients. Statistical analyses, including the chi-square test, Student's t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and logistic regression, were performed to evaluate these relationships.
resultsSerum levels of FGF-21 were significantly elevated in patients with RA compared with healthy controls (805.7 ± 188.68 vs. 203.8 ± 50.7 pg/mL, p < 0.001). Among RA patients, those with carotid plaques exhibited higher FGF-21 levels than those without plaques (840.7 ± 203.6 vs. 745.6 ± 142.2 pg/mL, p < 0.001). Correlation analyses revealed that serum FGF-21 levels were positively associated with LDL-C (r = 0.544), HOMA-IR (r = 0.625), anti-CCP antibodies (r = 0.617), rheumatoid factor (r = 0.366), DAS28 (r = 0.309), and cIMT (r = 0.604) (all p < 0.001). Conversely, FGF-21 levels were negatively correlated with the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (r = - 0.569, p < 0.001) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) (r = - 0.294, p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the serum FGF-21 level as an independent factor associated with increased cIMT (odds ratio [OR] = 1.003, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.001-1.006, p = 0.006).
conclusionsOur findings suggest a potential correlation between elevated FGF-21 levels and RA disease activity as well as certain metabolic parameters. Further replication studies are needed to clarify whether FGF-21 might serve as a research biomarker in the context of cardiovascular comorbidity in RA.
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