Comparison of serum interleukin-10 level of fungal exposure among patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis and healthy people

Sarcoidosis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease with unknown etiology. Fungal exposure has been assumed as one of many possible causes of the disease. The prevalence of sarcoidosis is likely to be higher in the Northern Iran compared with other regions. Environmental studies have shown higher levels of fungal spores in the air of this area. Some studies have shown that fungal exposure in patients with sarcoidosis is associated with decreased levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) serum levels. The aim of present study was comparison of the serum levels of IL-10 in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis and healthy people. In this current analytical, cross-sectional study, 40 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis compared with 34 healthy individuals as a control group, who had been visited in a pulmonary referral clinic in Rasht (Guilan-Iran). Demographic data were collected by a questionnaire. Serum IL-10 levels were measured by ELISA kit. The data were analyzed by using the SPSS software (version 19). The mean concentration of IL-10 serum levels were reported 10.96±9.48 pg/ml and 3.77±1.47 pg/ml among the patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis and healthy individuals, respectively. The significance difference was demonstrated between patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis and control group (p