Serum interleukin 15 as a marker of activity in patients with vitiligo

Background Interleukin 15 (IL15) is a proinflammatory cytokine that is involved in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The stability of vitiligo represents the periods of no activity of the disease, and it is crucial in determining the line of treatment of the patient. Objective To assess serum IL15 in patients with vitiligo and to evaluate its predictive capacity as a marker of vitiligo activity. Patients and methods A total of 40 patients with nonsegmental vitiligo were included, in addition to 30 age-matched and sex-matched healthy individuals as a control. The severity of vitiligo was assessed using vitiligo area severity index score, whereas the activity of disease in patients was assessed using vitiligo disease activity score. Serum levels of IL15 were measured using the ELISA technique. Results The mean serum level of IL15 was significantly higher in patients with vitiligo (201.14±115.41 ng/l) than in control (136.13±22.57 ng/l). Moreover, the mean serum level of IL15 was significantly higher in patients with unstable/active vitiligo (243.12±136.64 ng/l) than in patients with stable vitiligo (144.35±28.82 ng/l). Patients with serum level of less than or equal to 150.90 ng/l can be diagnosed as stable vitiligo, with 76.47% sensitivity and 73.91% specificity. Conclusion IL15 is a good and reliable marker for the detection of activity in patients with vitiligo, but further studies are needed to follow the progression of disease and to correlate this with the serum level of IL15. Targeting IL15 could be a novel treatment approach for patients with vitiligo.