Serum S100A12 levels are correlated with clinical severity in patients with dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease

OBJECTIVE: S100A12 is an emerging inflammatory disease biomarker. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common, severe complication of dermatomyositis (DM). This study was performed to investigate the association between S100A12 and disease activity and prognosis in patients with DM-associated ILD (i.e., DM-ILD). METHODS: Serum S100A12 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in patients with stable DM-ILD, patients with acute exacerbation of DM-ILD (AE DM-ILD), and healthy controls (HCs). The relationships of serum S100A12 levels with C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), ferritin, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scores, and pulmonary functions were evaluated by multiple unpaired t-tests and Pearson correlation. RESULTS: Serum S100A12 levels were higher in patients with stable DM-ILD and those with AE DM-ILD than in HCs. Serum S100A12 levels in patients with stable DM-ILD and those with AE DM-ILD were positively correlated with CRP, ESR, and ferritin. S100A12 levels were positively correlated with HRCT scores in patients with stable DM-ILD and those with AE DM-ILD, while they were negatively correlated with predicted percentages of forced vital capacity and predicted percentages of carbon monoxide diffusing capacity in those patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of serum S100A12 levels for assessing clinical severity and prognosis of DM-ILD.