“…Instead, increased IL-1β expression was found in inflamed tissues of AA patients irrespective of plasma levels [5,8,10]. This led to the hypothesis that plasma cytokine levels may not reliably reflect the in vivo situation or disease activity, respectively [5,8]. Our patient presented with normal plasma IL-1β and had a partial response to IL-1RA, suggesting only a minor role of IL-1β in this case.…”