Experimentally challenged reactivity of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis in patients with recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract

Our findings show reduced HPA axis responsiveness in RA patients with recent diagnosis receiving longterm medication that is suggested to be located both at a hypothalamic/pituitary and at an adrenal level. It appears that common HPA axis activity accomplishes low amounts of cortisol release, which makes it difficult to determine an influence of endogenous cortisol changes on the Th1/Th2 balance.