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Serum growth differentiation factor-15 and clinical domain involvement in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a pilot
Kaori Sumi1, Teruaki Masuda1, Sae Mochizuki1
1Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan.
Objective:
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are systemic autoimmune disorders with diverse clinical manifestations. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a stress-responsive cytokine whose clinical associations in IIMs remain incompletely characterized. We examined serum GDF-15 and its relationships with clinical and laboratory features in IIMs.
Methods:
This single-center cross-sectional pilot study included 37 patients with IIMs and 25 healthy controls. Between-group differences were assessed by the Mann-Whitney U test and age- and sex-adjusted linear regression of log-transformed GDF-15. Within the IIM group, associations were assessed using Spearman correlations. The principal analysis examined the association between GDF-15 and an exploratory count of involved cutaneous, bulbar, pulmonary, and cardiac domains using partial Spearman correlation adjusted for age, body mass index, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
Results:
Serum GDF-15 was higher in patients with IIMs than in controls (median [IQR], 1650 [1110-2739] vs. 544 [344-1006] pg/mL; p < 0.001; adjusted geometric mean ratio, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.93-3.38; p < 0.001). GDF-15 was associated with a greater number of clinical domains involved (ρ = 0.451, p = 0.005); the adjusted partial correlation was 0.408 (95% CI, 0.143-0.662; p = 0.017). No statistically significant correlations were detected with creatine kinase or the Medical Research Council sum score.
Conclusion:
Serum GDF-15 was associated with an exploratory count of affected clinical domains in adults with IIMs.