Cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-6 and glial fibrillary acidic protein levels are increased during initial neuromyelitis optica attacks

• Published in: Clinica chimica acta Vol. 421; pp. 181 - 183
• Main Authors: Uzawa, Akiyuki, Mori, Masahiro, Sawai, Setsu, Masuda, Saeko, Muto, Mayumi, Uchida, Tomohiko, Ito, Shoichi, Nomura, Fumio, Kuwabara, Satoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 05.06.2013
• Subjects: Adult; Biomarker; Biomarkers - cerebrospinal fluid; Cerebrospinal fluid; Diagnosis, Differential; Early Diagnosis; Encephalitis - cerebrospinal fluid; Encephalitis - diagnosis; Encephalitis - genetics; Female; Gene Expression; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein - cerebrospinal fluid; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein - genetics; Humans; Interleukin-6; Interleukin-6 - cerebrospinal fluid; Interleukin-6 - genetics; Male; Middle Aged; Neuromyelitis optica; Neuromyelitis Optica - cerebrospinal fluid; Neuromyelitis Optica - diagnosis; Neuromyelitis Optica - genetics; Optic Neuritis - cerebrospinal fluid; Optic Neuritis - diagnosis; Optic Neuritis - genetics; Predictive Value of Tests; Retrospective Studies; Biomarker; Early diagnosis; Neuromyelitis optica; Cerebrospinal fluid; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; Interleukin-6
• ISSN: 0009-8981; 1873-3492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2013.03.020

The current 2006 neuromyelitis optica (NMO) criteria is useful for diagnosing NMO, however this criteria seemed to be insufficient at early stage of NMO. Hence, the development of diagnostic marker besides anti-aquaporin 4 antibody at early stage of NMO may be required. Our main aim of this study is to test the usefulness of measuring cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) interleukin (IL)-6 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) concentrations as early diagnostic markers during initial NMO attacks. We investigated CSF IL-6 and GFAP concentrations in 13 NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients at initial attacks, 24 idiopathic central nervous system inflammatory disease patients (9 optic neuritis, 9 myelitis and 6 encephalitis) and 20 other non-inflammatory neurological disorders (ONNDs) patients, retrospectively. The mean CSF IL-6 and GFAP concentrations during the initial NMOSD attack were 91.4pg/ml and 369.3ng/ml, respectively, and were significantly higher than in ONNDs, idiopathic optic neuritis and myelitis patients (P<0.01). The sensitivity of high CSF IL-6 during initial NMO attack was 76.9% and that of high CSF GFAP was 84.6%, respectively. Our data suggests that CSF IL-6 and GFAP may be useful early diagnostic markers of NMOSD. •Early diagnostic markers are required for preventing severe relapses in NMO.•The CSF IL-6 and GFAP levels were markedly high during the initial attacks in NMO.•The CSF IL-6 and GFAP levels would be useful as early diagnostic markers of NMO.•These molecules should be measured in undetermined CNS inflammation patients.