title: Significance of serum interleukin-8 levels in patients with Behcet's disease: high levels may indicate vascular involvement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interleukin-8 (IL-8) has been shown previously to associate with different individual clinical manifestations and activity of Behcet's disease (BD), but its association with vascular involvement has not been established.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five untreated patients with BD and 29 healthy individuals were included in the study. The activity of patients was based on the existence of two or more symptoms and a statistically significantly high Behcet's Disease Activity Index (BDAI) at the time of the study. IL-8, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) results were evaluated with respect to activity, vascular involvement, and other specific individual clinical manifestations of the disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IL-8 levels were found to be significantly elevated in active BD compared with inactive BD (P = 0.006) and healthy controls (P = 0.000), with median values of 267 (53-2000), 137 (52-290), and 58 pg/mL (53-160 pg/mL), respectively. Unlike ESR and CRP, IL-8 levels showed a high correlation with BDAI scores (r = 0.743, P = 0.00) and the number of active clinical manifestations (r = 0.646, P = 0.00). Serum levels of IL-8 were increased in patients with oral ulcers, genital ulcers, eye lesions, and vascular lesions, with median values and significance levels of 254.5 (53-2000), P = 0.05; 254.5 (52-1400), P = 0.03; 254.5 (72-2000), P = 0.029; and 593 pg/mL (110-2000 pg/mL), P = 0.001, respectively. In addition, IL-8 levels in the active patient group with vascular involvement were significantly higher than the levels in those without vascular involvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum IL-8 levels are increased in the active phase of BD. This marker may be useful in the early detection of vascular involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. pelin@drcom
authors.forename: Selda Pelin Kartal
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Durmazlar
authors.forename: Gul Bahar
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Ulkar
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eskioglu
authors.forename: Semih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tatlican
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mert
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akgul
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016209:Interleukin-8; D002097:C-Reactive Protein