| Title: |
Interleukin‐6 as a Key Biomarker in Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy: Evidence From Longitudinal Analyses |
| Authors: |
Jonathan Pini; Emanuela Martinuzzi; Sandra Dhifallah; Abderhmane Slioui; Angela Puma; Luisa Villa; Michele Cavalli; Andra Ezaru; Jérémy Garcia; Manuela Gambella; Federico Torre; Luca Jacopo Pavan; Nicolas Glaichenhaus; Sabrina Sacconi |
| Source: |
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, Vol 13, Iss 2, Pp 310-323 (2026) |
| Publisher Information: |
Wiley |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Collection: |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
| Subject Terms: |
Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry; RC321-571; Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system; RC346-429 |
| Description: |
Objective Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 1 (FSHD1) is a progressive neuromuscular disorder with no approved treatments. Identifying reliable biomarkers is critical to monitor disease severity, activity, and progression. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) has been proposed as a candidate biomarker, but longitudinal validation is limited. Methods We analyzed pooled data from two prospective longitudinal cohorts: CTRN‐FSHD France (NCT04038138) and Cytokine FSHD (NCT04694456), each comprising 30 genetically confirmed ambulant FSHD1 patients. Serum IL‐6 levels and clinical assessments were collected at baseline (M0), 12 months (M12), and 18 months (M18); whole‐body muscle MRI (T1‐weighted and STIR sequences) was obtained at M0 and M12. Associations between IL‐6 levels and clinical severity scores, functional measures, and MRI‐derived muscle composition were evaluated. Results Serum IL‐6 levels correlated significantly with clinical severity metrics, including Clinical Severity Score, 6‐Minute Walk Test, Manual Muscle Testing, and Motor Function Measure Domain 1 at all time points. Higher IL‐6 levels were associated with increased muscle fat infiltration and free water content compatible with muscle edema on MRI. Longitudinal analyses showed that increases in IL‐6 over 12 months were significantly correlated with changes in T1 (fat infiltration) and STIR (muscle edema) composite scores, reflecting structural and inflammatory disease progression. Interpretation These findings validate IL‐6 as a biomarker of FSHD1 severity and underscore its potential as an activity and progression biomarker. The correlation between IL‐6, clinical scores, and MRI‐based muscle composition changes highlights its potential utility for monitoring disease evolution and evaluating therapeutic responses in FSHD1 patients. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://doi.org/10.1002/acn3.70210; https://doaj.org/toc/2328-9503; https://doaj.org/article/56f232fe8a0248b9b747ca994bf0eb47 |
| DOI: |
10.1002/acn3.70210 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1002/acn3.70210; https://doaj.org/article/56f232fe8a0248b9b747ca994bf0eb47 |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.1BBF1227 |
| Database: |
BASE |