Evaluation of serum interleukin-33 as an activity serum marker for nonsegmental vitiligo

Background Vitiligo is a chronic acquired disorder resulting from the destruction of epidermal melanocytes owing to multifactorial causes. Various cytokines play a central role in its pathogenesis. Interleukin (IL)-33 has an essential role in different autoimmune diseases; however, scarce data are available about its role in vitiligo as an activity marker. Objective To evaluate serum IL-33 levels in patients with active and stable vitiligo. Patients and methods A case-control study was conducted on 75 participants: 25 patients with active nonsegmental vitiligo (NSV), 25 with stable NSV, and 25 age-matched and sexmatched controls. The disease characteristics of vitiligo were reported regarding activity, duration, type, and extent. The vitiligo disease activity (VIDA) score was used to evaluate the disease activity. The serum level of IL-33 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in all groups. Results The serum IL-33 levels showed no significant difference (P=0.996) between active cases (mean=1378 +/- 1102.66 ng/l) and stable NSV cases (mean=1397 +/- 948.97 ng/l); however, a highly significant difference (P<0.001) was found between active/stable cases and controls (mean=230.00 +/- 55.90 ng/l). No relation was found between IL-33 levels and the patient's age (P=0.288), duration of vitiligo (P=0.67), duration of last activity (P=0.149), VIDA score (P=0.377), vitiligo extent (P=0.377), sex (P=0.217), or vitiligo types (P=0.383). Conclusion IL-33 may have a pivotal role in the immune dysregulation of NSV vitiligo. However, it cannot be used as a discriminating serum marker between active and stable cases.