Serum levels of IL‐18 and sIL‐2R in patients with alopecia areata receiving combined therapy with oral cyclosporine and steroids

Please cite this paper as: Serum levels of IL-18 and sIL-2R in patients with alopecia areata receiving combined therapy with oral cyclosporine and steroids. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: 145–147. Abstract:  This study was to determine which immunologic factors contribute to the prognosis of patients with alopecia areata (AA) who were receiving oral cyclosporine A and methylprednisolone. Patients with >25% hair regrowth were defined as responders, and patients exhibiting ≤25% regrowth were poor-responders. The serum levels of IL-18 and soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) were measured at baseline in 21 patients with AA and 22 control subjects. The mean serum level of IL-18 in the patients with extensive AA was significantly higher than that in the control subjects. The mean serum concentration of sIL-2R in the AA patients significantly decreased after 1 month of treatment. The mean basal serum level of IL-18 was highest in the responder, whereas the baseline level of sIL-2R was significantly higher in the poor-responder group than other groups. In conclusion, increased serum sIL-2R level and lower IL-18 level at baseline was associated with a poor prognosis in patients with AA.