CCL18 as a Biomarker of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) and Progressive Fibrosing ILD in Patients with Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies

Abstract

Objectives. To assess CCL18 and OX40L as biomarkers of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and/or progressive fibrosing (PF-) ILD in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Methods. Patients with IIMs seen in our center from July 2020 to March 2021 were consecutively enrolled. ILD was detected by high-resolution CT. CCL18 and OX40L serum levels were measured by validated ELISA assays in 93 patients and 35 controls. At the 2-year follow-up, PF-ILD was evaluated according to the INBUILD criteria. Results. ILD was diagnosed in 50 (53.7%) patients. CCL18 serum levels were higher in IIMs patients vs. controls (232.9 [IQR 134.7–399.07] vs. 48.4 [29.9–147.5], p p p p = 0.005). Conclusions. Although in a relatively small sample, our data suggest that CCL18 is a useful biomarker in IIMs-ILD, particularly in the early identification of patients at risk of developing PF-ILD.

Keywords

• interstitial lung disease (ILD)
• idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs)
• biomarkers
• autoantibodies
• progressive pulmonary fibrosis