Diagnostic and Prognostic Roles of Serum Interleukin-6 Levels in Patients with Uveitis

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To examine the diagnostic and prognostic roles of serum interleukin-6 levels in patients with uveitis.

Methods

This was a retrospective observational case series. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between Group One (sixty patients) with normal serum IL-6 levels and Group Two (twenty patients) with high serum interleukin-6 levels.

Results

Mean IL-6 level was 1.77 ± 0.97 pg/ml and 10.2 ± 9.7 pg/ml in Group One and Group Two respectively. Age, presence of systemic disease, and mean number of flare-ups were statistically significant (p = .015, p = .000, p = .03, respectively). Multivariate analysis was performed on variables that were statistically significant in univariate analysis and showed that three variables had significant correlation with IL-6 levels in both groups: systemic disease (OR = 10.83, p < .001), Age (OR = 0.95, p = .03) and number of flare-ups (OR = 2.9, p = .02).

Conclusion

Serum IL-6 levels can provide diagnostic and prognostic information in regard to the course of disease and its treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Behçet’s disease
• interleukin-6
• juvenile idiopathic arthritis
• rheumatoid arthritis
• systemic lupus erythematosus
• uveitis

Acknowledgments

The New England Institutional Review Board approved the study for chart review

Consent for publication is not needed

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Authors’ contributions

All authors helped with drafting and they read and approved the final version of manuscript. SA did the statistical analysis.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Financial disclosures

Dr. C Stephen Foster declares the following:

Consultancies with Aldeyra Therapeutics (Lexington, MA), Allakos (Redwood City, CA), Bausch & Lomb Surgical, Inc (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), Eyegate Pharma (Waltham, MA), Genentech (South San Francisco, CA), Novartis (Cambridge, MA), pSivida (Watertown, MA) Grants or grants pending with Aciont (Salt Lake City, UT), Alcon (Aliso Viejo, CA), Aldeyra Therapeutics (Lexington, MA), Bausch & Lomb (Rochester, NY), Clearside Biomedical (Alpharetta, GA), Dompé pharmaceutical (Milan, Italy), Eyegate Pharma (Waltham, MA), Mallinckrodt pharmaceuticals (Staines-upon-Thames, UK), Novartis Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA), pSivida (Watertown, MA), Santen (Osaka, Japan).

Payment for lectures including service on speaking bureaus: Alcon (Aliso Viejo, CA), Allergan (Dublin, Ireland), Mallinckrodt pharmaceuticals (Staines-upon-Thames, UK).

Stock or Stock Options: Eyegate Pharma (Waltham, MA) The other authors have nothing to declare.

Dr. Stephen D. Anesi declares the following:

Consultancies with Santen (Osaka, Japan), Mallinckrodt (Staines-upon-Thames, UK), Allakos (Redwood City, CA), Eyepoint (Watertown, MA), and Takeda (Tokyo, Japan).

Speakerships with AbbVie (Chicago, IL), Mallinckrodt (Staines-upon-Thames, UK), and Eyepoint (Watertown, MA). Other authors have nothing to declare.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.