Correlation of serum cytokines, serum C -reactive protein and work -related musculoskeletal disorde

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are common. WMSD may cause pain, functional loss, and loss of work time. Pathogenesis of WMSD appears to be influenced by the cytokine network. Aim 1. To determine if a relationship exists between the severity of early onset WMSD in workers and the serum concentration of the inflammatory mediators interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and IL-6 using ELISA techniques. Aim 2. To determine if a relationship exists between the severity of early onset WMSD in workers and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP). Twenty-seven human subjects with WMSD of up to 12-week duration were stratified according to the severity of signs and symptoms and compared to 10 control subjects. The mean age was 44 +/- 15.97 years (range = 19-74). Serum was analyzed for the concentrations of the inflammatory markers. IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha and CRP increased progressively with the severity of WMSD. IL-6 was significantly increased in each patient with WMSD, but mean concentration was higher in mild and severe WMSD. All of the inflammatory markers were positively correlated with the presence of WMSD. These findings support the interaction between cytokine concentration and the severity of early onset WMSD and indicate that CRP may be a useful instrument in determining the presence and severity of WMSD.