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Serum and urinary interleukin-6 in systemic lupus erythematosus

Division of Rheumatology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa

AD Robertson

Clinical Research Center, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

W. Emlen

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Dysregulation of IL-6 production has been proposed as a pathogenic mechanism in SLE. We asked if serum or urine IL-6 levels could serve as indicators of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity. Using a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we measured serum and urine IL-6 in 56 SLE patients. Disease activity was assessed using a standard clinical index, the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM). Only seven of 56 SLE patients had elevated serum IL-6 levels, compared with 1 of 32 controls (NS). SLE disease activity did not correlate with serum IL-6 levels. Sixteen of 50 SLE patients in whom urine IL-6 was measured exhibited elevated urine IL-6 levels, compared with 1 of 17 controls (p = < 0.05). Urine IL-6 levels correlated with overall disease activity and with the presence of active urinary sediment. Our results indicate that serum IL-6 is not a predictor of disease activity in SLE, but that urine IL-6 may be a marker of active nephritis.

Key Words: systemic lupus erythematosus • interleukin-6 • disease activity

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