High-Dose Corticosteroid Administration Induces Increase of Serum Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in Patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada's Disease

To investigate the influence of corticosteroid administration on the serum level of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), sera obtained from 9 patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada's disease who had been treated with high-dose corticosteroid were analyzed. The serum MIF levels of most patients were prominently increased on day 7 and/or day 14 after corticosteroid treatment. No TNF-α was detected in the sera. The average serum MIF level of nine patients at the highest stages after corticosteroid administration was significantly higher than that before the corticosteroid treatment. It seems that MIF is a unique cytokine and acts together with corticosteroid to regulate inflammation and immunity.