Correlation between serum β2-microglobulin level and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis. Issue 39 (30th September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: You, Tao; Lin, Xiaoyin; Zhang, Chunhong; Wang, Weilun; Lei, Meihong
• Is Part Of: Medicine. Volume 101:Issue 39(2022)
• Page Start: e30594
• Publication Date: 2022-09-30
• Subjects: 2-MG -- disease activity -- systemic lupus erythematosus; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine -- Périodiques; Geneeskunde; Medicine; Periodicals; Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000030594
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-7974

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Numerous studies have explored whether serum beta 2-microglobulin (β2-MG) can be used as a biomarker for monitoring systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity, but the results are conflicting. Therefore, we performed a systematic meta-analysis to further investigate the correlation between serum β2-MG level and SLE disease activity. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and CNKI databases were thoroughly searched for eligible studies through April 2022. Standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to depict the differences in serum β2-MG levels between groups compared in the studies. The correlation between serum β2-MG level and SLE disease activity was assessed using Fisher z -values. Results: Sixteen articles with combined 1368 SLE patients were included in this meta-analysis. Serum β2-MG levels were significantly higher in SLE patients than in healthy controls (pooled standardized mean difference: 3.98, 95% CI: 2.50–5.46, P < .01). In addition, patients with active SLE had an increased serum β2-MG concentration compared to their inactive SLE counterparts. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between serum β2-MG levels and SLE disease activity (pooled Fisher z = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.61–0.96, P < .01). Conclusions: This study suggests that patients with SLE have higher serum β2-MG levels than healthy controls and that serum β2-MG levels are positively correlated with SLE disease activity. Thus, serum β2-MG level may be a promising biomarker for monitoring SLE disease activity.