Soluble IL-2 receptor and memory Treg profiles differentiate early rheumatoid arthritis from undifferentiated arthritis at initial presentation
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By
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Xiaoyu Zi
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Yifang Shi
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Yicong Zhao
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Chong Gao
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Caihong Wang
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June 9, 2026
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Objective:
To distinguish treatment-naïve rheumatoid arthritis (TN-RA) from undifferentiated arthritis (UA) at initial presentation using immune profiling.
Key Findings:
- Distinct immune profiles were identified between TN-RA and UA at initial presentation.
- TN-RA was characterized by IL-2 signaling exhaustion and systemic inflammation.
- UA exhibited a Th17/Treg imbalance with preserved Th2 and Th17 responses.
- An eight-feature immune signature discriminated TN-RA from UA with an AUC of 0.959.
Interpretation:
Limitations:
- The study is retrospective and may have inherent biases.
- The sample size, while adequate, may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Conclusion:
