Comparative cytokine profiles in enthesitis-related arthritis and adult spondyloarthritis

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Özaslan N. Z., Kalçık Unan M., Uzuner H., Dilek G., Şahin N., Karadenizli A., ...Daha Fazla

33rd European Paediatric Rheumatology Congress, Belgrade, Sırbistan, 16 - 19 Eylül 2026, cilt.24, sa.63, ss.94, (Özet Bildiri)

Özet

Although enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and axial and peripheral spon dyloarthritis (SpA) lie on the spondyloarthritides spectrum, they differ in age at onset, patterns of involvement, and putative immunopathology. Objectives This study aimed to compare circulating cytokine/chemokine profiles in treatment-naïve ERA and adult SpA to identify shared and divergent biological signatures. Methods In a combined cross-sectional/longitudinal design conducted at a ter tiary center (January 2024–January 2025), we evaluated ERA (n=30) and adult SpA patients (n=30) alongside age-/sex-matched healthy pediatric (n=20) and adult (n=20) controls. Clinical features, disease ac tivity, and routine laboratory parameters were recorded. Serum TNF-α, IL-17A, IL-22, GM-CSF, CXCL4/PF4, CXCL10, CXCL16, and NRG4 were quantified by ELISA. Results ERA showed more peripheral arthritis (83.3%) and enthesitis (90%), whereas adult SpA showed more sacroiliitis/axial involvement (93.3%) and longer morning stiffness. Versus controls, both patient groups had elevated CXCL16 (p<0.001) and PF4 (p=0.001). GM-CSF and NRG4 were increased in both diseases and were higher in adult SpA than ERA (GM CSF: 65 vs. 38 pg/mL, p=0.003; NRG4: 50.23 vs. 37.34 ng/mL, p<0.001). TNF-α, IL-17A, IL-22, and CXCL10 showed no significant group differ ences (see Table 1). Conclusion These findings provide a rationale for biomarker-informed phenotyp ing and future stratified treatment approaches; however, single-center sampling and ELISA-only measurements warrant multicenter valida tion. Disclosure of interest None declared.