فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) are common forms of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy which are characterized by muscle inflammation with an unknown cause. Immune cells infiltrate myofibrils and endomysial capillaries, which leads to damage of muscle fibers through the production of humoral factors and different cytokines. Objectives: Increased IL-18 and IL-6 serum levels have been reported in a variety of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate IL-18 and IL-6 serum levels in DM and PM patients compared to a healthy control group. Results: IL-18 levels were significantly higher in DM patients and PM patients before treatment compared to healthy control subjects (P = 0.001, P = 0.01, respectively). There were no significant differences between DM and PM patients before treatment with healthy controls for IL-6 serum levels (P = 0.51, P = 0.43, respectively). Conclusions: Serum IL-18 contributes to the immunopathogenesis of DM and PM and would be a useful marker for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. IL-6 has a less pivotal role in the pathology of DM and PM.