Abstract
The changes in cholinesterase activity in whole blood (WB), plasma (P), and red blood cells (RBC) of 43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were compared with these same values in 44 normal individuals. In the normal individuals the mean values and the standard deviations were: 127 ± 19 for WB, 99 ± 16 for P, and 165 ± 29 units for RBC, whereas in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis the values were 135 ± 32 for WB, 86 ± 19 for P, and 216 ± 65 units for RBC. Although the mean RBC values in patients were higher, significant specific variations from the normal, particularly those in whole blood and plasma, were not readily apparent. Therefore, the ratio (RBC:P) between cholinesterase activities of the two blood components were calculated and considered to be a much more sensitive approach in evaluating the pathologic process. The mean ratio in patients was 2.50 ± 0.70:1, compared with a mean ratio of 1.65 ± 0.29:1 for normal individuals. The RBC:P cholinesterase activity ratios of 36 of the 43 patients differed from the mean value for normal individuals by one standard deviation or more. These ratios increased with the severity of the disease.
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