Disease Stage and Plasma Levels of Cytokines in Huntington's Disease: A 2-Year Follow-Up Study

It has been shown that plasma levels of cytokines are elevated in Huntington's disease (HD) gene expansion carriers when compared with controls and are higher in advanced disease stages.[1] To test the hypothesis that plasma cytokines may serve as a biomarker of disease progression,[2] levels of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were measured in different disease stages at baseline and during a 2-year follow-up.In the present study, in the total group of HD gene expansion carriers, an increase was found TNF-α and IL-10 levels during the 2-year follow-up. This may reflect a reactive elevation of anti-inflammatory cytokines after the initial proinflammatory response.Stress-related psychiatric disorders across the life spa