Document Type : Short Paper
Authors
Clinical Pathology Laboratory, Polyclinic of Bari, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
Abstract
Background: Recent studies have shown that cytokines have an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and can be used as prognostic markers. Objective: To evaluate the IL-6/IL-10 ratio in patients with Inherited Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) as a prognostic marker. Methods: Serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were measured in 13 patients with recessive dystrophic EB (RDEB) as well as 10 with EB Simplex (EBS), and in 18 healthy subjects. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analyses were used to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the IL-6/IL-10 ratio for detecting severe form of EB. Results: The IL-6/IL-10 ratio was statistically higher in RDEB patients than in EBS patients and healthy subjects. The IL-6/IL-10 ratio significantly correlated with BEBS score. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that IL-6/IL-10 ratio >5.6 has a good diagnostic accuracy to identify patients with the highest severity of disease.
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