Cytokines the Etiology of Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis.

Objective: To investigate the roles of cytokines in the etiopathogenesis of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM).
Design: Case-control study.
Place and Duration of Study: Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, from September 2020 to January 2021.
Methodology: Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis patients in active or remission who were admitted to the breast diseases outpatient clinic and healthy volunteers were included prospectively in the present study. The IL-1β, IFN-α2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p (p70), IL-17A, IL-18, IL-23 and IL-33 values were measured with Flow Cytometry. The blood samples were taken before the treatment in the active IGM group. The ages, physical examination findings, menopausal and smoking conditions, and treatment methods were also evaluated.
Results: A total of 32 patients including 19 patients with active and 13 in remission, and 18 controls, were inducted making up a total of 50 subjects. The mean age was 37.18±7.15. The IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10, and IL-18 values were lower in patients with IGM than in the control group. Granulomatous Mastitis patients smoked more than the healthy participants. When the active patients, remission patients, and control group were evaluated together, no significant differences were detected in cytokine levels.
Conclusion: The autoimmune and granulomatous reactions may not play a role in the etiopathogenesis of IGM because of the low levels of Th1 and Th17-related cytokines. However, some to baseline reference ranges were established.
Key Words: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, Cytokine, Autoimmunity, Smoking.