The Influences of Perfluoroalkyl Substances on the Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinic

Abstract

Objective. Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of synthetic organic fluorine chemicals, which have been mass-produced and widely used in the past 60 years, and also have been shown to be one of the major pollutants affecting human health. The impact of fluoride on the development of RA is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between perfluoroalkyl substances and the clinic of RA. Methods. A cohort of 155 patients with RA in Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were investigated. Demographic and clinical data of these patients were recorded. The concentration of perfluoroalkyl substances were measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography system (ACQUITY, UPLC) coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer that operated in negative ionization mode. The correlations between the clinical data and the concentration of perfluoroalkyl substances were analyzed.Results. There were 43 male patients and 112 female patients in the cohort. Some of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFOA, PFNA, PFTrA, PFOS) were correlated negatively with the Body Mass Index (BMI); some of them (PFOA, PFNA, PFTrA, PFOS, 8:2Cl-PFESA) were correlated positively with the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28); two (PFOA, PFOS) of them were correlated positively with the white blood cell count, and one (PFUnA) of them was correlated negatively with the hemoglobin; two (PFDA, PFUnA) of them were correlated negatively with the presence of interstitial lung disease. Conclusion. These data suggest that exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances may promote the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis and the visceral lesions.