Published online Jun 26, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i12.2473
Peer-review started: January 30, 2020
First decision: April 21, 2020
Revised: May 9, 2020
Accepted: May 13, 2020
Article in press: May 13, 2020
Published online: June 26, 2020
Processing time: 145 Days and 21.2 Hours
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a serious progressive neurodegenerative disease. Early diagnosis of MSA is very difficult, and diagnostic biomarkers are limited. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is involved in the differentiation and progression of the central nervous system, and is widely distributed in peripheral blood, which may be a novel biomarker for MSA.
To determine serum GDF15 levels, related factors and their potential diagnostic value in MSA patients, compared with Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and healthy controls.
A case-control study was conducted, including 49 MSA patients, 50 PD patients and 50 healthy controls. Serum GDF15 levels were measured by human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the differences between the MSA, PD and control groups were analyzed. Further investigations were performed in different MSA subgroups according to age of onset, sex, clinical subtypes, diagnostic criteria, and disease duration. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of GDF15, especially for the differential diagnosis between MSA and PD.
Serum GDF15 levels were significantly higher in MSA patients than in PD patients and healthy controls (P = 0.000). Males and those with a disease duration of more than three years showed higher serum GDF15 levels (P = 0.043 and 0.000; respectively). Serum GDF15 levels may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for MSA patients compared with healthy controls and PD patients (cutoff: 470.42 pg/mL, sensitivity: 85.7%, specificity: 88.0%; cutoff: 1075.91 pg/mL, sensitivity: 51.0%, specificity: 96.0%; respectively).
Serum GDF15 levels are significantly higher in MSA patients and provide suggestions on the etiology of MSA.
Core tip: In this case-control study, we determined serum growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) levels in multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients, Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and healthy controls. We found that serum GDF15 levels in MSA patients were significantly higher compared with PD patients and healthy controls. These findings suggest the potential value of serum GDF15 levels as a diagnostic biomarker of MSA, and serum GDF15 contributes to the differential diagnosis between MSA and PD.