Serum cytokine levels in bDMARD-OP and csDMARD-OP patients. Units of all cytokines are pg/ml. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test for comparisons of median values. Values are median (interquartile range) unless otherwise specified.
| Serum Cytokines | bDMARD-OP, n = 8 | csDMARD-OP, n = 7 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFN-α | 13.6 (< 2.5–218.3) | 219.1 (< 2.5–2654.0) | 0.5 |
| IFN-γ | 33.0 (4.4–102.1) | 76.9 (< 2.9–1074.9) | 0.7 |
| IL-1β | 0.8 (< 2.9–17.4) | 7.6 (< 2.9–487.7) | 0.5 |
| IL-2 | 0.4 (< 2.8–31.5) | 4.2 (< 2.8–410.9) | 0.5 |
| IL-4 | < 3.2 (< 3.2–23.7) | < 3.2 (< 3.2–477.3) | 0.7 |
| IL-6 | 9.0 (3.6–81.1) | 17.9 (8.4–198.1) | 0.5 |
| IL-8 | 8.5 (4.5–14.9) | 16.8 (12.1–25.3) | 0.02 |
| IL-10 | 21.4 (0.1–98.3) | 3.4 (< 3.1–34.1) | 0.5 |
| IL-12 | 4.1 (0.03–168.7) | 24.9 (< 3.2–2424.4) | 0.6 |
| IL-13 | < 2.5 (< 2.5–94.7) | < 2.5 (< 2.5–44.2) | 0.8 |
| IL-17 | < 3.1 (< 3.1–4.2) | 4.4 (< 3.1–76.8) | 0.2 |
| IP-10 | 1594.2 (1406.5–2534.3) | 1833.0 (656.9–2866.8) | 0.9 |
| TNF-α | 24.7 (18.0–37.9) | 13.2 (12.1–355.7) | 0.5 |
DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; bDMARD: biologic DMARD; OP: organizing pneumonia; csDMARD: conventional synthetic DMARD; bDMARD-OP: patients with RA who developed OP during treatment with bDMARD; csDMARD-OP: patients with RA who developed OP during treatment with csDMARD; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; IFN: interferon; IL: interleukin; IP-10: IFN-γ–inducible protein 10; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α.