Interplay of Serum IL-6 and Vitamin D in Overweight, Non-Anemic Women of Reproductive Age with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Abdulsalam A. Noorwali, Zahir Hussain

 
For citation: Noorwali AA, Hussain Z. Interplay of Serum IL-6 and Vitamin D in Overweight, Non-Anemic Women of Reproductive Age with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. International Journal of Biomedicine. 2026;16(1):26-32. doi:10.21103/Article16(1)_OA2
 
Originally published March 5, 2026

Abstract: 

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening autoimmune disorder that damages various tissues and organs. It is more prevalent in women than in men. Real-world medical practice provides comprehensive clinical and laboratory information. A variety of factors complicate processes in patients with SLE. Two important risk factors, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and vitamin D, are to be investigated to determine their precise role in SLE.
Methods and Results: We analyzed variation in serum IL-6 and vitamin D, their association, and other characteristics in normal-weight SLE (NW-SLE) and overweight SLE (OW-SLE), compared with NW controls (NW-C) and OW controls (OW-C).
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit methods were used for diagnostic purposes and to determine vitamin D and IL-6 levels. Conventional methods were used to record the other variables, including hemoglobin (Hb), hepcidin (Hp), body mass index (BMI), menstrual cycle length (MCL), and menstrual phase duration (MPD). Serum levels of IL-6 presented significant variations for NW-SLE compared to NW-C (P<0.02), and OW-SLE compared to OW-C, and OW-SLE compared to NW-SLE (P<0.01). The serum levels of vitamin D indicated a significant difference between OW-SLE compared to NW-SLE (P<0.03) and NW-SLE compared to NW-C, OW-SLE compared to OW-C, and OW-C compared to NW-C (P<0.01). Furthermore, vitamin D and IL-6 showed a significant negative correlation in OW-SLE and NW-SLE patients (P<0.01).
Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the importance of measuring serum IL-6 and vitamin D levels in conjunction with BMI assessment in patients with SLE. This study revealed an inverse relationship between vitamin D and IL-6 in patients with SLE. Since vitamin D is an important modifiable factor in SLE, and its deficiency is associated with disease activity and the risk of complications, correction of vitamin D deficiency can complement standard therapy and improve the prognosis of SLE.

Keywords: 
reproductive age women • overweight • non-anemic • systemic lupus erythematosus • interleukin-6 • vitamin D
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Received December 16, 2025.
Accepted January 14, 2026.
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