Table 4.
Cytokine gene expression levels and their combinations measured from PPD-stimulated PBMCs to discriminate patients with active TB from LTBI with RA.
| Cytokine combination | Positive Active TB (n = 25) | Positive LTBI + RA (n = 11) | Sens. (%) | Spec. (%) | AUC (CI 95%) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFN-γ | 12 | 0 | 48 | 100 | 0.733 (0.573–0.893) | <0.05* |
| IL-17 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 100 | 0.620 (0.432–0.808) | 0.264 |
| IL-4 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 100 | 0.724 (0.552–0.895) | <0.05* |
| IFN-γ + IL-17 + IL-4 | 14 | 0 | 56 | 100 | 0.720 (0.556–0.884) | <0.05* |
| IFN-γ + IL-17 | 14 | 0 | 56 | 100 | 0.675 (0.501–0.848) | 0.102 |
| IFN-γ + IL-4 | 14 | 0 | 56 | 100 | 0.758 (0.603–0.914) | <0.05* |
| IL-4 + IL-17 | 11 | 0 | 44 | 100 | 0.693 (0.518–0.867) | 0.069 |
| IFN-γ or IL-17 or IL-4 | 16 | 0 | 64 | 100 | n/a | n/a |
| IFN-γ or IL-17 | 13 | 0 | 52 | 100 | n/a | n/a |
| IFN-γ or IL-4 | 16 | 0 | 64 | 100 | n/a | n/a |
| IL-17 or IL-4 | 12 | 0 | 48 | 100 | n/a | n/a |
*p < 0.05 was considered significant.