Comparative analysis of cytokine profiles in autoinflammatory and autoimmune conditions

Background: Many disease states are characterized by a biased cytokine profile and determining the level of certain cytokines becomes an important diagnostic and research tool in clinical medicine. We hypothesized that, despite the highly dynamic nature, the profile of cytokines may be characteristic of disease. Methods: The level of systemic cytokines was studied in an autoinflammatory condition, familial Mediterranean fever; in an autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and in healthy controls. Results: Multivariate statistics with the use of seven variables clustered the patients and control subjects into the four well separated and distinct groups, corresponding to the SLE, FMF attack, FMF remission, and healthy states. Conclusions: The model suggested the existence of specific patterns in cytokine levels reflecting the healthy and specific disease states. These findings warrant further investigations to establish whether this approach may serve as a potential meta-biomarker for other inflammatory disorders.