Table 8. Prognostic significance of serum cytokines/%FVC determined by Cox proportional hazard regression analysis.
| Parameters* | HR** | 95% CI | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Univariate analysis | |||
| IL-1β/%FVC | 12596673 | 0.000–1.119e36 | 0.631 |
| IL-1 ra/%FVC | 1.416 | 1.023–1.962 | 0.036 |
| IL-2/%FVC | 145948721 | 0.000–3.446e24 | 0.328 |
| IL-4/%FVC | 2.566e14 | 0.000–1.571e42 | 0.309 |
| IL-5/%FVC | 1.346 | 0.000–8,156.099 | 0.947 |
| IL-6/%FVC | 1.503 | 0.000–113,740,946 | 0.965 |
| IL-7/%FVC | 33275.167 | 2.656–416,827,118 | 0.031 |
| IL-8/%FVC | 0.612 | 0.110–3.401 | 0.575 |
| IL-9/%FVC | 26.515 | 3.957–177.689 | 0.001 |
| IL-10/%FVC | 1.699 | 0.000–7.157e16 | 0.978 |
| IL-12/%FVC | 14.147 | 0.000–1,608,358.47 | 0.656 |
| IL-13/%FVC | 722339.368 | 0.767–6.806e11 | 0.055 |
| IL-15/%FVC | 1.803 | 0.479–6.780 | 0.383 |
| IL-17/%FVC | 30,284,237.2 | 5.062–1.812e14 | 0.030 |
| Eotaxin (CCL11)/%FVC | 5.029 | 1.263–20.028 | 0.022 |
| b-FGF/%FVC | 29,109.988 | 37.378–22,671,011.2 | 0.002 |
| G-CSF/%FVC | 0.830 | 0.312–2.208 | 0.708 |
| GM-CSF/%FVC | 70,967.265 | 0.000–8,404e24 | 0.636 |
| IFNγ/%FVC | 6.768 | 0.006–8,148.224 | 0.597 |
| IP-10 (CXCL10)/%FVC | 1.030 | 0.944–1.125 | 0.503 |
| MCP-1(CCL2)/%FVC | 0.818 | 0.138–4.835 | 0.824 |
| MIP-1α (CCL3)/%FVC | 0.142 | 0.004–4.466 | 0.267 |
| PDGF-BB/%FVC | 1.119 | 1.043–1.200 | 0.002 |
| MIP-1β (CCL4)/%FVC | 0.981 | 0.903–1.067 | 0.660 |
| RANTES (CCL5)/%FVC | 1.001 | 0.997–1.006 | 0.558 |
| TNF-α/%FVC | 2.701 | 0.174–41.909 | 0.477 |
| VEGF-A/%FVC | 1.446 | 0.244–8.579 | 0.685 |
| Multivariate analysis with stepwise selection procedure | |||
| IL-9/%FVC | 23.957 | 2.846–201.626 | 0.003 |
| PDGF-BB/%FVC | 1.092 | 1.018–1.171 | 0.014 |
| Adjusted by mMRC (≥2 vs. <2) and lymphocyte in BAL (%) with stepwise selection procedure | |||
| PDGF-BB/%FVC | 1.101 | 1.022–1.186 | 0.011 |
| mMRC (≥2 vs. <2) | 4.083 | 1.978–8.430 | <0.001 |
*, cytokine levels were used as pg/mL; **, HR >1 means an increase in each continuous parameter indicating high risk of mortality. AE, acute exacerbation; b-FGF, basic fibroblast growth factor; BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; CCL, CC chemokine ligand; CI, confidence interval; CXCL, CXC chemokine ligand; G-CSF; granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; HR, hazard ratio; HRCT, high-resolution computed tomography; IFN, interferon; IIP, idiopathic interstitial pneumonia; IL, interleukin; IP-10, IFN-γ inducible protein; MCP, monocyte chemotactic protein; MIP, macrophage inflammatory protein; mMRC, modified Medical Research Council score for shortness of breathe; %FVC, percent predicted value of forced vital capacity; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; RANTES, regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.