RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Utility of Interferon-α as a Biomarker in Central Neuropsychiatric Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus JF The Journal of Rheumatology JO J Rheumatol FD The Journal of Rheumatology SP jrheum.110983 DO 10.3899/jrheum.110983 A1 Hilda Fragoso-Loyo A1 Yemil Atisha-Fregoso A1 Carlos A. Núñez-Alvarez A1 Luis Llorente A1 Jorge Sánchez-Guerrero YR 2012 UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2012/01/12/jrheum.110983.abstract AB Objective To assess the utility of interferon-α (IFN-α) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a biomarker of disease activity in central neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (cNPSLE). Methods Serum and CSF samples were drawn at hospitalization in 34 patients with cNPSLE, 16 surgical SLE, 4 primary neuropsychiatric conditions, and 25 with nonautoimmune conditions, except in 44 non-NPSLE patients in whom only serum was studied. Six months later, serum/CSF and serum samples were taken in 20 cNPSLE and 35 non-NPSLE patients, respectively. SLE activity was assessed at hospitalization, and 6 months later in cNPSLE and non-NPSLE patients. IFN-α was detected by Luminex technology. Results The mean ± SD age of patients with cNPSLE was 31.4 ± 12.2 years, which was similar across the study groups (p = 0.46). Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) scores among cNPSLE, non-NPSLE, and SLE-surgical patients were 15.3 ± 8.2, 12.4 ± 8.2, and 3.8 ± 1.5, respectively. IFN-α levels in serum were higher in cNPSLE than in nonautoimmune patients (p = 0.02), but were similar to non-NPSLE and SLE-surgical groups. In CSF samples, IFN-α levels were higher in cNPSLE than in nonautoimmune patients (p = 0.03), and were nonsignificantly higher than in SLE-surgical and primary neuropsychiatric patients. Six months later, serum levels of IFN-α did not vary from baseline values despite a significant decrease in SLEDAI-2K score in cNPSLE and non-NPSLE patients. IFN-α levels in the CSF of patients with cNPSLE also remained stable. Among specific cNPSLE syndromes, CSF IFN-α levels were significantly higher among patients with acute confusional syndrome. Conclusion IFN-α does not seem to represent a useful biomarker of cNPSLE syndromes; its utility in specific cNPSLE manifestations merits further investigation.