Comparison of lymphocyte depletion and clinical effectiveness on filtration leukocytapheresis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

We evaluated the relationship between the clinical benefit of filtration leukocytapheresis (LCP) and the number of removed leukocytes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). LCP was performed in 31 drug-resistant RA patients. LCP was carried out 3 times with 1 week separating each scission. Assessment of RA before and after LCP showed a substantial and rapid improvement in tender joint counts, swollen joint counts, and patients' and physicians' assessments. Careful analysis indicated that 19 of 31 patients with RA showed greater than or equal to20% improvement following LCP therapy. The number of leukocytes in the peripheral blood significantly decreased during each session of LCP. However, there was no significant decrease in the number of circulating blood cells during the study period. No adverse reactions or complications were noted. There was no significant difference in any indices of clinical activity and the removal rates of leukocytes between responders and nonresponders. The total numbers of removed lymphocytes in responders were significantly higher than those in nonresponders (responders 64.1 x 10(8) versus nonresponders 50.7 x10(8), p < 0.05). The relationship between clinical effectiveness and the number of removed granulocytes and monocytes was not statistically significant. Our results suggest that filtration LCP to remove leukocytes from the peripheral blood, especially lymphocytes, exerts an immunomodulatory effect in patients with RA.