TNF-α and IL-6 levels in Multiple Sclerosis on Dimethyl Fumarate: A Retrospective Study
William S. Baek, MD1*, Song Zhai2, Xinping Cui, PhD2
1Department of Neurology, Parkside Medical Group, Upland, CA, USA.
2Department of Statistics, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
*Corresponding Author: William S. Baek, Department of Neurology, Parkside Medical Group, Upland, CA, USA.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58624/SVOANE.2026.07.033
Received: July 06, 2026
Published: August 20, 2026
Citation: Baek WS, MD, Zhai S, Cui X. TNF-α and IL-6 levels in Multiple Sclerosis on Dimethyl Fumarate: A Retrospective Study. SVOA Neurology 2026, 7:4, 259-268. doi.org/10.58624/SVOANE.2026.07.033
Abstract
This 6-year retrospective study evaluated correlations between TNF-α, IL-6, EDSS, vitamin D levels, age, duration of disease, or number of MRI lesions in in attack-free MS patients on dimethyl fumarate. TNF-α levels were affected by the duration of dimethyl fumarate therapy, patient age, and CRP levels. IL-6 levels were affected by the duration of dimethyl fumarate therapy, patient age, and vitamin D levels. We maintain that TNF-α is a more promising serum biomarker than IL-6 in monitoring dimethyl fumarate therapy in MS NEDA patients.
Keywords: TNF-α; IL-6; Multiple Sclerosis; Biomarker; Dimethyl Fumarate
