Diagnostic accuracy of interleukin-6 in multiple diseases: An umbrella review of meta-analyses

Objective This review aims to conduct a comprehensive study of the diagnostic accuracy of interleukin-6 (IL-6) for multiple diseases by utilizing existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Methods We performed a thorough search of Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews up to April 2023 to gather meta-analyses that investigate the diagnostic accuracy of IL-6. To assess the methodological quality of the studies, we employed the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews-2 and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria. Results We included 34 meta-analyses out of the 3024 articles retrieved from the search. These meta-analyses covered 9 categories of diseases of the International Classification of Diseases-11. Studies rated as "Critically Low" or "Very Low" in the quality assessment process were excluded, resulting in a total of 6 meta-analyses that encompassed sepsis, colorectal cancer, tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), endometriosis, among others. Among these diseases, IL-6 demonstrated a relatively high diagnostic potential in accurately identifying TPE and endometriosis. Conclusions IL-6 exhibited favorable diagnostic accuracy across multiple diseases, suggesting its potential as a reliable diagnostic biomarker in the near future. Substantial evidence supported its high diagnostic accuracy, particularly in the cases of TPE and endometriosis.