Interleukin-6 and ratio of plasma interleukin-6/interleukin-10 as risk factors of symptomatic lumbar osteoarthritis

AIM To determine the role of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and ratio of IL-6/IL-10 as risk factors of symptomatic lumbar osteoarthritis (OA) in postmenopausal women with estrogen deficiency. METHODS Case-control study had been conducted in Sanglah General Hospital from October 2015 until March 2016. The blood samples were obtained and analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS From 44 pairs of samples which divided into 44 samples as case group and 44 samples as control group showed that high level of COMP in estrogen deficiency postmenopausal women were not at risk (OR = 0.7; 95%CI: 0.261-1.751; P = 0.393) for symptomatic lumbar OA (cut-off point 0.946). Estrogen deficiency in postmenopausal women with the high level of IL-6 had 2.7 times risk (OR = 2.7; 95%CI: 0.991-8.320; P = 0.033) for symptomatic lumbar OA from the low level of IL-6 (cut-off point 2.264). At lower level of IL-10, there was no risk for symptomatic lumbar OA (OR = 0.6; 95%CI: 0.209-1.798; P = 0.345) than with the higher level of IL-10 (cut-off point 6.049). While the high ratio of IL-6/IL-10 level in estrogen deficiency postmenopausal women gave 3.4 times risk (OR = 3.4; 95%CI: 1.204-11.787; P = 0.011) for symptomatic lumbar OA than the low ratio of IL-6/IL-10 level (cut-off point 0.364). CONCLUSION High ratio of IL-6/IL-10 plasma level was the highest risk factor for causing symptomatic lumbar OA in postmenopausal women with estrogen deficiency.