title: Investigating the relationship between serum interleukin-17 levels and systemic immune-mediated disease in patients with dry eye syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between dry eye syndrome (DE) and serum levels of interleukin (IL)-17 in patients with systemic immune-mediated diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  IL-17 and IL-23 levels were measured in the sera of patients whose tear production was <5 mm on the Schirmer test. Subjects included patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjogren's syndrome (SS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and no systemic disease. Corneal/conjunctival fluorescein staining was scored and the correlation between the score and the IL-17 level was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A strong correlation existed between IL-17 level and the type of systemic disease. IL-17 was significantly elevated in patients with chronic GVHD compared to those with RA and SS. IL-17 was not detectable in patients with SLE or in those without systemic disease. IL-23 was not detected in any of the subjects. IL-17 was significantly increased in patients with high fluorescein staining scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that IL-17 is involved in the pathogenesis of DE in patients with systemic immune-mediated diseases.
authors: Seoul Artificial Eye Center, Seoul National University Hospital Clinical Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Joo Youn
authors: JY
authors: Oh
authors: Mee Kum
authors: MK
authors: Kim
authors: Hyuk Jin
authors: HJ
authors: Choi
authors: Jung Hwa
authors: JH
authors: Ko
authors: Eun Joo
authors: EJ
authors: Kang
authors: Hyun Ju
authors: HJ
authors: Lee
authors: Won Ryang
authors: WR
authors: Wee
authors: Jin Hak
authors: JH
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020381:Interleukin-17