Cytokine Profiling of Systemic Sclerosis-Related Pulmonary Hypertension

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Pulmonology
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex autoimmune disease.
• Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe complication of SSc.
• Accurate diagnosis of SSc-PH is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cytokine profile specific for SSc-PH.
• To identify key circulating cytokines associated with SSc-PH using multiplex immunoassays.
• To assess the diagnostic potential of this cytokine profile.

Main Methods:

• An observational, single-center study involving 106 SSc patients.
• Measurement of 48 circulating cytokines via multiplex immunoassays.
• Application of a random forest approach for model development and internal validation.

Main Results:

• A 48-cytokine model achieved an AUC of 0.82.
• Monokine induced by gamma interferon was the most significant cytokine.
• A six-cytokine model (including MIG, IL-8, MIP-1β, IL-15, IL-7, MDC) yielded an AUC of 0.83 with high specificity (0.96).

Conclusions:

• A highly specific cytokine profile for SSc-PH was generated using a random forest approach.
• The identified profile reflects real-world patient heterogeneity.
• External validation in prospective cohorts is necessary for future work.