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Markedly increased CSF interleukin-6 levels in neuromyelitis optica, but not in multiple sclerosis

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Abstract

To investigate differences in helper T cell immune responses in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) between neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS), we measured CSF levels of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ at the time of relapse in 17 NMO patients and 21 MS patients using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. CSF IL-6 levels were significantly higher in NMO patients than in patients with MS (P = 0.001) and other neurological diseases (P = 0.001). The other cytokines tested were undetectable. Elevated CSF levels of IL-6 in only NMO supports the view of different pathophysiologies of NMO and MS. CSF IL-6 levels may be useful in the differential diagnosis of the two disorders.

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Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Professor Yoshinori Fujiyoshi, Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Drs. Akiko Okuta and Akiko Kamegawa, Japan Biological Informatics Consortium, and Dr. Kaoru Mitsuoka, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology for their support for measuring antibodies against aquaporin-4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan

    Akiyuki Uzawa, Masahiro Mori, Tomohiko Uchida, Sei Hayakawa, Saeko Masuda & Satoshi Kuwabara

  2. Department of Transfusion, Chiba University hospital, Chiba, Japan

    Michihiro Ito

Authors
  1. Akiyuki Uzawa
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  2. Masahiro Mori
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  3. Michihiro Ito
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  4. Tomohiko Uchida
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  5. Sei Hayakawa
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  6. Saeko Masuda
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  7. Satoshi Kuwabara
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Correspondence to Akiyuki Uzawa.

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Uzawa, A., Mori, M., Ito, M. et al. Markedly increased CSF interleukin-6 levels in neuromyelitis optica, but not in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol 256, 2082–2084 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-009-5274-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-009-5274-4

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