Serum cytokine levels in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa vary with race

May 1, 2021

This plain-language research summary was generated by AI, courtesy of HS Simplified.

AI Generated Content Verified By: Andrea Murina, M.D. | Tulane University

Serum cytokine levels in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa vary with race

A 2020 study explores how serum cytokine levels, proteins involved in immune responses, vary by race in patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS), a chronic skin condition causing painful nodules and abscesses. Researchers found that African American patients had different levels of certain cytokines compared to other races, highlighting potential racial differences in disease mechanisms. This insight emphasizes the need for diverse participant inclusion in HS research to tailor treatments effectively.

How Blood Markers Differ by Race in People with Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Dr. McKay and her team wanted to learn more about hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a long-lasting skin disease that causes painful bumps and abscesses, usually under the arms or in the groin. These bumps can leave scars and cause chronic pain. Scientists think HS happens because the body’s immune system (the part that fights germs) overreacts when hair follicles (openings in the skin where hair grows) break open. This overreaction causes inflammation that continues to cycle underneath the skin.

Many people with HS have high levels of certain cytokines, like TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor alpha) and some types of interleukins (such as IL-17 and IL-1). These are proteins that help control how the immune system works. Some medicines for HS try to block these cytokines to calm the body’s response.

How Did They Study This?

The researchers invited adults with HS and healthy people of similar age, sex, and race to join their study in New Orleans. They made sure no one had other diseases or was taking medicines that could affect their immune system. The team collected information and blood samples from everyone. Then, they measured 25 different cytokines in the blood using high-tech tools.

What Did They Find?

There were 27 people with HS and 9 healthy people in the study. Most participants were women and African American. Both groups were about the same age and had similar body sizes. Here’s what they discovered:

• When comparing everyone with HS to healthy people, there was no big difference in cytokine levels.

• But when the scientists looked at race, they saw something interesting. African American participants with HS had lower amounts of certain cytokines (like TNF-alpha, IL-22, IL-23, IL-17F, IL-27, and IL-10) compared to people of other races with HS.

Why Does This Matter?

African Americans are more likely to get HS and sometimes have a tougher time treating it. Scientists think this might be because of differences in genes that affect the immune system and how the body reacts to infections and inflammation. This study suggests that blood tests for inflammation may not be the same for everyone, and race might play a role in how HS shows up and responds to treatment.

Limitations and What’s Next

This study only included a small number of people, so scientists can’t be sure these results apply to everyone. Also, they don’t know yet if having lower cytokine levels means treatments will work differently for African American patients. More and bigger studies are needed to learn how HS affects people of different races and if treatments should be personalized.

In the future, researchers plan to look more closely at genes and immune responses to better understand why HS affects people in different ways. It’s important for scientists to include people of all backgrounds in their studies so that treatments can help everyone.

Author(s)

Cather McKay, Drew Kuraitis, Andrea Murina

Read Original Paper

https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(20)32481-6/fulltext