Serum cytokine profiles and their correlations with disease activity in Takayasu's arteritis

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Abstract
Objective. To investigate serum profiles of inflammatory cytokines in patients with Takayasu's arteritis (TA) and to determine their correlations with disease activity of TA. Methods. Forty-nine patients with TA and 12 age- and sex-matched controls were studied. Blood samples were obtained and were divided into active and stable disease groups. Paired blood samples were available in 19 patients at the active stage before treatment and at the remitted stage after treatment. Serum tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12 and IL-18 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. Serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-18 levels of patients with TA were significantly higher than those of controls (PPPPConclusion. Serum IL-18 and IL-6 levels were elevated in patients with TA, especially in those with active disease. Serum IL-18 levels correlated well with disease activity of TA. These results suggest that IL-6 and IL-18 might contribute to the pathogenesis of TA and that IL-18 could be a useful marker for monitoring disease activity of TA.