Elevated serum brain injury markers are associated with disease activity, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and cognitive dysfunction in adolescents with childhood-onset SLE
Authors' conclusion
Brain injury marker levels were high and associated with disease activity and CD in this cSLE adolescent cohort, suggesting a link between systemic inflammation and clinically under-detected neuronal/glial injury.
Study context
- Population
- Adolescents (12–17 years) with childhood-onset SLE (median disease duration 10.6 months; one with NPSLE) and healthy controls
- Participants
- 56 vs 43
- Exposure
- cSLE vs age-matched, sex-matched healthy controls
- cSLEn = 56
- Controlsn = 43reference
- Outcome
- Serum brain injury markers (neurofilament light, GFAP, Tau) and associations with disease features, cytokines and cognitive dysfunction
Methodological detailsage-matched, sex-matched healthy controls, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, Bonferroni correction
- Age-matched, sex-matched healthy controls
- Wilcoxon rank-sum tests
- Bonferroni correction
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- cSLE
- z (glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP)) −3.97; P < 0.001
- cSLE
- z (Tau) −2.10; P = 0.035
- cSLE
- z (interferon (IFN)-α) −4.80; P < 0.001
- cSLE
- z (IFN-γ) −2.42; P = 0.015
- cSLE
- z (IL-6) −3.09; P = 0.002
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Severe cognitive dysfunction (≥2 SD from standardised mean)
chi2 6.69 · P = 0.01
| Outcome | Z | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Tau levels with vs without severe CD, within cSLEHigher Tau with severe CD | −3.94 | P < 0.001 |
- High-level brain injury markers (>90th percentile) in cSLE
- 23% · 13 of 56
High-level brain injury markers (>90th percentile) in cSLE
- Associated with higher SLEDAI-2K, IL-6 levels and current glucocorticoid (GC) dose
Original publication
Elevated serum brain injury markers are associated with disease activity, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and cognitive dysfunction in adolescents with childhood-onset SLE. Lupus Sci Med. Published 22 April 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →