Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with a chronic inflammatory process that affects bone metabolism and leading to impaired bone mineral density (BMD). Therefore, the determination of laboratory markers of bone metabolism contributes to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of metabolic bone diseases.

The aim of the study: To characterize the bone metabolism parameters in rheumatoid arthritis patients with impaired bone mineral density, to find out their features and diagnostic value.

Materials and methods: The study included 76 patients randomly stratified by RA status who were treated in the Rheumatology Department of Lviv Regional Clinical Hospital, a municipal non-profit enterprise of Lviv Regional Council, from 2013 to 2019. The goal was achieved by performing three consecutive stages of the study. At the first stage, markers of bone formation and bone resorption were characterized. At the second stage, the peculiarities of these indicators were determined. The third stage was to determine the diagnostic value of the content of the markers of formation оsteocalcin (OCN) and procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and resorption marker isomerized C-terminal telopeptide specific for the degradation of type I collagen in the bone tissue (β-CrossLaps).

Results: According to the results of the study at the first stage, it was found that, in RA patients with osteoporosis (OP), the serum content of markers of osteoblastic bone function OCN (p=0.000) and P1NP (p=0.035) was significantly lower compared to the healthy individuals of CG, while the content of the marker of bone resorption β-CrossLaps was significantly higher (p=0. 021); in RA patients with OP, the serum content of both markers of osteoblastic bone function OCN (p=0.000) and P1NP (p=0.001) is significantly lower, while β-CrossLaps (p>0.050) is only slightly higher compared to healthy CG subjects. According to the results obtained at the second stage of the study, it can be stated that the content of OCN and P1NP in the blood serum is significantly lower in RA patients both with osteopenia and OP compared to RA patients without BMD disorders.

At the third stage of the study, it was found a significant relationship between the content of P1NP and belonging to a group with osteopenia (AC -0.52). A confirmed relationship was found between the content of OCN and belonging to the group with OP (direct direction of AC 0.57; p=0.017).

Conclusions: Bone structure disorders in rheumatoid arthritis patients with osteopenia are characterized by a weakening of bone formation and increased resorption processes; in rheumatoid arthritis patients with osteoporosis, the weakening of osteoblastic bone function is more pronounced compared to rheumatoid arthritis patients with osteopenia. For rheumatoid arthritis patients with unimpaired bone mineral density, the highest diagnostic value is provided by procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide. For rheumatoid arthritis patients with osteoporosis, osteocalcin is a diagnostically valuable marker.

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease caused by many polyclonal autoantibodies and characterized by numerous comorbid lesions of internal organs and systems. Research with respect to the role of various infectious agents in the development and course of SLE, and primarily the role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), is ongoing. It is important to find out whether patients with SLE are infected with CMV and EBV, since the clinical manifestations of SLE and active viral infection are similar.

Aim: To find out the infection of SLE patients with CMV and EBV.

Materials and methods: The study included 115 patients with SLE, among whom women of working age predominated. The study was conducted in three stages: to find out CMV infection, to detect EBV infection, to determine the simultaneous infection of SLE patients with CMV and EBV and, in particular, their active phases. The actual material was processed on a personal computer in Excel (Microsoft) and IBM SPSS Statistics using descriptive statistics.

Results: It was found that the serum of the vast majority of SLE patients has specific antibodies to CMV, and only three have no antibodies to the virus. IgM antibodies to CMV were detected in 22.61% of patients, which may indicate an active phase of infection. Most often, the CMV seroprofile was detected as a combination of IgG (+) and IgM (-) (74.78%) among patients with SLE. It was established that the absolute majority of SLE patients are infected with EBV (98.26%). Active EBV infection was found in 15.65% of SLE patients, and chronic persistent - in 53.91%. Most often (53.91%) there are SLE patients with a seroprofile in the combination of EBV IgG to NA (+) IgG to EA (+) VCA IgM (-).

Most often (41.74%) SLE patients had a combination of laboratory markers of viral infection in the form of seroprofile CMV IgG (+) IgM (-); EBV IgG to EA (+) IgG to NA (+) IgM to VCA (-). The active phase of CMV and/or EBV infection was present in 32.17% of SLE patients, of which: 16.52% had only active CMV infection, 9.57% - only active EBV infection, and 6.09% – a combination of active CMV and EBV infections, which indicates that more than a third of SLE patients have active CMV and/or EBV infections, which can affect the clinical manifestations of the disease and require specific treatment tactics.

Conclusion: Almost all patients with SLE are infected with CMV, among whom 22.61% of patients have active infection. The absolute majority of SLE patients are infected with EBV, of which 15.65% had an active infection. Most often, SLE patients had a combination of laboratory markers of infection in the form of seroprofile CMV IgG (+) IgM (-); EBV IgG to EA (+) IgG to NA (+) IgM to VCA (-). The active phase of CMV and/or EBV infection was present in 32.17% of patients with SLE, of which: 16.52% had only active CMV infection, 9.57% only active EBV infection, and 6.09% – a combination of active CMV and EBV infections.

УДК 616.72-002.77-06:[616.71-018.4:612.015.7]-073.48-73.75

Вступ. Ревматоїдний артрит (РА) – хронічна системна хвороба сполучної тканини нез’ясованої етіології складного автоімунного патогенезу, яка часто ускладнюється вторинним остеопорозом (ОП), що погіршує перебіг і прогноз основної хвороби.
Мета. Дослідити частоту й характер уражень кісток у хворих на ревматоїдний артрит, виявлених за допомогою ультразвукової та рентгеностеоденситометрії, з’ясувати їх діагностичну цінність для оцінки мінеральної щільности кісткової тканини. 
Матеріали й методи. У дослідження в рандомізований спосіб із попередньою стратифікацією за наявністю РА, діагностованого згідно з критеріями Американської колегії ревматологів та Європейської ліги проти ревматизму (2010) у жінок пременопаузального періоду та чоловіків зрілого віку, включено 74 хворих (62 жінки (84,93 %) і 12 чоловіків (15,07 %) віком від 38 до 60 років (середній вік на час обстеження жінок – 48,67 ± 2,34 року, чоловіків – 45,42 ± 2,78 року)), що лікувалися, вживаючи метилпреднізолон (4,0–24,0 мг/добу) та не отримуючи лікарські засоби для лікування ОП, у ревматологічному відділі Комунального некомерційного підприємства Львівської обласної ради «Львівська обласна клінічна лікарня» з 2013 по 2019 рік (дослідна група – ДГ). Контрольну групу (КГ) створено з 29 здорових осіб (22 жінки (75,86 %) та 7 чоловіків (24,14 %), середній вік жінок на час обстеження 44,95 ± 2,12 року, чоловіків – 40,71 ± 2,75 року) аналогічних статі й віку. Усім хворим проведено оцінку МЩКТ за допомогою ультразвукової кісткової денситометрії п’яткової кістки та рентгеностеоденситометрії кисти.
Результати. Виявлено міцний кореляційний зв’язок між результатами ультразвукової денситометрії п’яткової кістки та рентгеностеоденситометрії кисти, що дає підстави рекомендувати діагностувати зміни МЩКТ обома методами, причому, чутливішим виявився метод рентгеностеоденситометрії. 
Висновки. Застосування обох методів діагностики ОП, а саме – ультразвукової денситометрії п’яткової кістки та рентгеностеоденситометрії кисти у хворих на ревматоїдний артрит є науково обґрунтованим.