Serum Cytokine Levels in Behçet's Disease

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the serum levels of various cytokines in patients with Behçet's Disease and healthy controls. METHODS: Thirty‐five patients with Behçet's disease and 29 age and sex‐matched healthy controls were included in the study. The patients were separated into groups with active and inactive disease. Serum IL‐2, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, IL‐17A, and IFN‐γ levels were determined using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method. Cytokine levels of the two patient groups and healthy controls were compared using SPSS 15.0. RESULTS: Ten patients with active disease and 25 patients with inactive disease were present. Serum IL‐8 levels of active BD patients were higher compared to inactive patients (P = 0.048) and healthy controls (P = 0.02). IL‐8 levels were correlated with the duration of symptoms (r = 0.490, P = 0.003) and time passed since diagnosis (r = 0.579, P ˂ 0.001). CONCLUSION: Behçet's disease involves complex interactions of cells of the immune system, mainly T lymphocytes and neutrophils. Further studies on the cytokine profile in Behçet's disease will aid in elucidation of its pathogenesis.