Association of Plasma
miRNA
‐7‐5p and
miRNA
‐214‐5p With Rheumatoid Arthritis Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
Irem Sahinoğlu, Umit Karakas, Sadettin Uslu, Deniz Kizilirmak, Emre Ali Acar, Filiz Cemre Tasgöz, Mevlüt Kacar, Seref Sülükcü, Merve Türkegün Sengül, Mehmet Emin Erdal, Ozgül Soysal Gündüz ABSTRACT
Objective
Rheumatoid arthritis–associated interstitial lung disease (RA‐ILD) is a major extra‐articular complication contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as potential non‐invasive biomarkers in autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to evaluate whether plasma miRNA‐7‐5p and miRNA‐214‐5p are associated with the presence of RA‐ILD and with radiological and functional indicators of pulmonary involvement.
Methods
In this cross‐sectional study, 58 RA patients (29 RA‐ILD, 29 without ILD) and 30 matched healthy controls were included. RA‐ILD was diagnosed by multidisciplinary assessment (HRCT and pulmonary function tests). Plasma miRNA levels were measured by qRT‐PCR and analyzed using the 2^−ΔΔCT method. Diagnostic performance was evaluated by ROC analysis.
Results
Plasma miRNA‐7‐5p and miRNA‐214‐5p levels were significantly higher in RA patients compared with healthy controls ( p < 0.05 for both). Among RA patients, both miRNAs were significantly lower in those with ILD ( p < 0.05). miRNA‐7‐5p demonstrated promising discriminatory performance for identifying RA‐ILD (AUC = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.760–0.947; p < 0.001), whereas miRNA‐214‐5p showed modest accuracy (AUC = 0.676, 95% CI: 0.539–0.794; p = 0.01). In multivariable analysis, ILD presence was independently associated with decreased levels of both miRNAs. Neither miRNA correlated significantly with DAS28‐CRP, disease duration, nor with radiological or functional severity parameters.
Conclusion
Circulating miRNA‐7‐5p and miRNA‐214‐5p are associated with the presence of RA‐ILD but do not reflect disease severity in this cohort. Larger prospective studies are required to validate their potential role as adjunctive biomarkers for RA‐ILD detection and risk stratification.