Linkage of calprotectin with inflammation, activity and treatment response of rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis.

Aim: This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the clinical value of calprotectin in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Methods

The data regarding blood calprotectin levels in RA patients were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane databases.

Results

Thirty-one eligible articles were included. Calprotectin was increased in RA patients compared with healthy controls (mean difference [MD] = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.16-1.79). Calprotectin was positively associated with C-reactive protein (correlation coefficient [CC] = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.53-0.63) and disease activity score (CC = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.38-0.58) in RA patients. Interestingly, calprotectin showed an increased trend in RA responders compared with nonresponders, but without statistical significance (MD = 0.38, 95% CI: -0.09-0.85).

Conclusion

Blood calprotectin relates to disease risk, inflammation and activity in RA patients.