TABLE 4.

Association between serum cytokine levels and University of California Los Angeles scleroderma clinical trial consortium gastrointestinal tract instrument scores.

Cytokine	Serum level (pg/mL)	Spearman's rho
		Reflux	Distention/bloating	Fecal soilage	Diarrhea	Social functioning	Emotional well‐being	Constipation	Total GIT score
TNF‐α	8.2 ± 3.1	0.41 *	−0.05	−0.26	−0.10	−0.10	−0.11	−0.11	−0.05
IL‐6	6.5 ± 7.2	0.41 *	−0.06	−0.35	−0.06	−0.23	−0.12	0.12	−0.04
IL‐10	4.2 ± 2.2	−0.09	−0.23	−0.18	−0.31	−0.17	−0.21	−0.18	−0.27
IL‐27	196 ± 68	−0.34	−0.13	0.04	−0.25	0.18	0.07	0.06	−0.11
VEGF	94 ± 35	0.01	−0.01	−0.02	0.12	0.41 *	0.12	0.48 *	0.10
IFN‐γ	36 ± 19	0.12	−0.18	−0.15	−0.16	−0.26	−0.17	−0.24	−0.20
IL‐31	62 ± 31	−0.15	−0.06	0.11	0.03	−0.26	0.00	0.00	−0.07
IL‐1α	9.4 ± 4.1	0.06	−0.29	−0.26	−0.19	−0.31	−0.16	−0.20	−0.27
IL‐4	102 ± 30	0.06	−0.28	−0.19	−0.17	−0.30	−0.17	0.18	−0.25
IL‐17	4.9 ± 1.3	−0.33	−0.38	−0.14	−0.19	−0.14	−0.25	0.00	−0.35
BAFF	920 ± 269	0.14	−0.17	−0.13	−0.12	−0.22	−0.10	−0.18	−0.15
IL‐13	354 ± 106	0.01	−0.06	−0.02	−0.19	0.21	0.05	0.36	−0.06
IFN‐α	3.3 ± 1.0	0.11	0.04	0.16	0.20	−0.09	0.21	−0.02	0.11
IL‐23	413 ± 166	0.07	−0.29	−0.19	−0.27	−0.18	−0.25	−0.09	−0.26

Note: Boldface letters mean statistically significant.

Abbreviations: BAFF, B‐cell activating factor belonging to the tumor necrosis factor family; GIT, gastrointestinal tract; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; TNF‐α, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.

^* P < 0.05.