Diagnostic and Predictive Values of IL-6 in a Group of Iraqi Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Background: Researchers have found that interleukin 6 (IL-6) plays a crucial regulatory function in the onset and progression of a wide range of inflammatory disorders. One of the more prevalent inflammatory illnesses affecting people today is rheumatoid arthritis. Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to compare the IL-6 levels of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to those of healthy controls and to examine the relationship between IL-6 and RA-related demographic and clinical factors.                                                                                                                                                          Materials and Method A total of 80 participants: 40 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers and 40 healthy controls, all of whom ranged in age from 23 to 61. The serum concentrations of (IL-6) were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Increased IL-6 blood levels were associated with rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that this biomarker may be useful for diagnosing the disease at an early stage. There was no statistically significant correlation between disease severity and the DAS28 score and IL-6 levels in the serum. Conclusion: The cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6) has been proposed as a biomarker and possible player in the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis.