study of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (comp) in rheumatoid

Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term disease that leads toinflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. Persistent synovitis canlead to tethering of tissue with loss of movement and erosion of the jointsurface causing deformity and loss of function.Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis most commonlyaffects the hip, knee, which apparently results from a combination of aging,irritation of the joints, wear and abrasion. OA is characterized by thedeterioration of the articular cartilage and by the formation of new bone inat the margins of the joints.Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein is a non-collagenous protein inthe matrix of the joint cartilage. Found predominantly in the extracellularmatrix (ECM) of cartilage, tendon, ligament and synovium.This study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of COMPin the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, to determinethe association of COMP with severity of the disease and to investigate therelation between COMP levels with clinical and laboratory markers ofdisease activity.Our study was performed on 90 subjects who were divided into threegroups: rheumatoid arthritis group included 30 patients (diagnosedaccording to the American Rheumatism Association Criteria forclassification of RA), knee osteoarthritis group included 30 patients(diagnosed according to The ACR clinical and radiological criteria of knee.