OBJECTIVES: This study examined the correlations of both serum and urine interleukin-17A (IL-17A) levels with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study was also aimed at determining their sensitivity and specificity as biomarkers of disease activity in SLE.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed involving SLE patients (n = 120 patients) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). Serum and urinary IL-17A levels were determined by immunoassay while disease activity was assessed using Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and British Isles Lupus Assessment Group's 2004 index (BILAG 2004) scores. The correlations between serum and urinary IL-17A levels with total SLEDAI-2K and BILAG 2004 scores were determined using bivariate correlation analyses. Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated to determine their sensitivity and specificity as disease activity biomarkers.
RESULTS: Both serum and urinary IL-17A levels correlated with total scores of BILAG 2004, BILAG renal, BILAG mucocutaneous, and SLEDAI-2K (P
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.