Diagnostic potential of monocyte subsets, TNF-α, and IL-6 in pediatric celiac disease: A case-control study

Abstract

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disorder of the small intestine, which is triggered by dietary gluten, especially in individuals with a genetic instinct. Monocytes play an important role in modifying intestinal immunity and inflammation, yet the importance of their subgroups in CD is not clear. Methods: The case-control study was held at the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic of Minia University Hospital, including 57 CD patients and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Clinical examination, laboratory check, and history were demonstrated for all participants. The serum levels of the IL-6 and TNF-α cytokines were measured using ELISA, and most analysis was done using flow cytometry. The variable with significant differences was further evaluated for its clinical ability. Results: Monocytes are more prevalent in CD patients than in controls. In the case group, the average level of monocyte CD14+/CD16+ and CD14–/CD16+ was much higher than in the control group of CD patients (P-value <0.001). Additionally, CD patients who tested positive for antibodies had much higher levels of certain monocyte types compared to those who tested negative (p-values of 0.003, 0.011, and 0.001, respectively). Cytokines were not balanced, as levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were much higher in CD patients than in the control group. There was a significant positive relationship (p-value <0.001) between different types of monocytes and the amounts of autoantibodies, TNF-α, and IL-6. Conclusion: TNF-α, IL-6, and certain types of monocytes could be useful indicators for diagnosing CD, as we found important differences between the groups we studied.