Table 4.

Immune function in patients with systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases

Parameter	Studies & patients (N)	Baseline patient vs. control		Stress reactivity within patients		Stress reactivity patients vs. controls
Leucocytes	[42] 18 RA vs. 14 HC
	[36] 21 RA vs. 10 OA	RA:	No difference [36,40,42]	RA:	Increase [36,40,42]	RA:	No difference [36,40,42] *
	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC	SLE:	No difference [43,45,44] *	SLE:	Increase [40,43-45]	SLE:	Altered (↓) [40,43,45]
	[43] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 12 SD		Altered (↓) [40]				No difference [44] *
	[44] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 10 HC
	[45] 15 SLE vs. 15 HC
Total lymphocytes	[30] 21 RA vs. 20 HC	RA:	Altered (↓) [30,42]	RA:	Increase [30,40]	RA:	No difference [30,40]
	[42] 18 RA vs. 14 HC		No difference [40]		No response [42]		Altered (↓) [42]
	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC	SLE:	Altered (↓) [40,43,45]	SLE:	Increase [40,45]	SLE:	Altered (↓) [43-45]
	[43] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 12 SD		Not reported [44]		No response[43,44]		No difference [40]
	[44] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 10 HC
	[45] 15 SLE vs. 15 HC
Total T cells (CD3+)	[30] 21 RA vs. 20 HC	RA:	No difference [40]	RA:	Increase [40]	RA:	No difference [30,40]
	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC		Altered (↓) [30]		No response [30]
	[43] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 12 SD	SLE:	Altered (↓) [40,45]	SLE:	Increase [40,45]	SLE:	No difference [40,43]
	[44] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 10 HC		No difference (%) [43,44] *		No response (%) [43,44]		Altered (↓) [45]/(%) [44]
	[45]15 SLE vs. 15 HC
Helper T cells (CD4+)	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC	RA:	No difference [35,40]	RA:	Increase [40]	RA:	Altered (↑) [35,40]
	[35] 7 RA, 6 SLE vs. 10 HC				Decrease [35]
	[43] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 12 SD	SLE:	Altered (↓) [40,45]	SLE:	No response [40,45]/(%) [44]	SLE:	Altered (↓) [45] (%) [43,44]/(↑)
	[44] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 10 HC		No difference [35]/(%) [43]		Decrease [35]/(%) [43]		[35]
	[45] 15 SLE vs. 15 HC		Not reported [44]				No difference [40]
Cytotoxic T cells (CD8+)	[40] 9 RA, 7SLE vs. 15 HC	RA:	No difference [35,40]	RA:	Increase [40]	RA:	No difference [40]
	[35] 7 RA, 6 SLE vs. 10 HC				No response [35]		Altered (↓) [35]
	[43] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 12 SD	SLE:	Altered (↓)[40,45]	SLE:	Increase [40,45]/(%) [43,44]	SLE:	No difference [40,45,44] *
	[44] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 10 HC		No difference [35]/(%) [43]		Decrease [35]		Altered (↓) [35]/(%) [43]
	[45] 15 SLE vs. 15 HC		Not reported [44]
B cells (CD19+)	[30] 21 RA vs. 20 HC	RA:	Altered (↓) [30]	RA:	Increase [30]	RA:	No difference [30]
	[43] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 12 SD	SLE:	Altered (↑) (%) [43]	SLE:	Increase (%) [43]	SLE:	Altered (↓) (%) [43,44]
	[44] 14 SLE vs. 14HC, 10HC		No difference (%) [44] *		No response (%) [44]
NK cells (CD56+)	[30] 21 RA vs. 20 HC	RA:	No difference [40]	RA:	Increase [30,40]	RA:	No difference [30,40]
	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC		Altered (↓) [30]
	[44] 14 SLE vs. 14 HC, 10 HC	SLE:	Altered (↓) [40,45]	SLE:	Increase [40,45]	SLE:	Altered (↓) [40,45]
	[45] 15 SLE vs. 15 HC		Not reported [44]		No response [44]		No difference [44]
NK cell cytotoxicity	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC	RA:	No difference [40]	RA:	No response [40]	RA:	Altered (↓) [40]
	[45] 4 SLE vs. 8 HC	SLE:	No difference [40,45]	SLE:	No response [40,45]	SLE:	Altered (↓) [40,45]
Cytokines
IL-6	[39] 19 RA vs. 21 HC	RA:	No difference [40,41]	RA:	No response [40]	RA:	No difference [39-41]
	[41] 21 RA vs. 20 HC		Altered (↑) [39]		Increase [39]
	[42] 18 RA vs. 14 HC				Decrease (not plasma) [41]
	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC	SLE:	No difference [40]	SLE:	No response [40]	SLE:	No difference [40]
	[46] 15 JIA vs. 14 HC	JIA:	Altered (↑) [46]	JIA:	Increase [46]	JIA:	Altered (↑) [46]
IL-2	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC	RA:	No difference	RA:	No response	RA:	No difference
		SLE:	No difference	SLE:	No response	SLE:	No difference
IL-4	[38] 29 RA vs. 30 HC	RA:	No difference [38,40]	RA:	No response [40]	RA:	No difference [40]
	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC	SLE:	No difference [40]	SLE:	Increase [40]	SLE:	Altered (↑) [40]
IL-8	[46] 15 JIA vs. 14 HC	JIA:	Altered (↑)	JIA:	No response	JIA:	No difference
IL-10	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC	RA:	Altered (↓) (not intracell.)	RA	No response	RA:	No difference
		SLE:	Altered (↓) (not intracell.)	SLE:	No response	SLE:	No difference
IFN-γ	[38] 29 RA vs. 30 HC	RA:	No difference [38]	RA:	No response [40]	RA:	Altered (↑) [40]
	[40] 9 RA, 7 SLE vs. 15 HC		Altered (↓) (not intracell.) [40]
		SLE:	Altered (↓)(not intracell.) [40]	SLE:	No response [40]	SLE:	Altered (↑) [40]
TNF-α	[39] 19 RA vs. 21 HC	RA:	No difference [39,41]	RA:	Increase [39,41]	RA:	Altered (↑) [39,41]
	[41] 21 RA vs. 20 HC
β-adenoceptors	[45] 7 SLE vs. 8 HC	SLE:	No difference	SLE:	No response	SLE:	Altered (↓)
β-adrenoceptor sensitivity	[45] 7 SLE vs. 8 HC	SLE:	Altered (↓)	Not assessed		Not assessed
sIL-2 receptor	[42] 18 RA vs. 14 HC	RA:	Altered (↑)	RA:	No response	RA:	No difference
C-reactive protein (CRP)	[36] 21 RA vs. 10 OA	RA:	No difference	RA:	Increase	RA:	Altered (↑)

* Findings assumed after inspection of descriptive data.

↑ = altered response pattern is more pronounced compared to a control group; ↓ = altered response pattern is diminished compared to a control group;

RA = rheumatoid arthritis, SLE = systemic lupus erythematosus, JIA = juvenile idiopathic arthritis, HC = healthy controls, OA = osteoarthritis, SD = sarcoidosis patients. IL = interleukin, IFN-γ = interferon-γ, TNF-α = tumor necrosis factor α, sIL-2 receptor = soluble interleukin-2 receptor, intracell. = intracellular interleukin concentration on the single-cell level.