Evaluating neurofilament light chain serum levels as a diagnostic marker for Lyme neuroborreliosis

Background: Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is a biomarker for neuro-axonal injury. Objectives: To assess sNfL’s utility as a diagnostic marker for Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). Methods: We compared serum and CSF NfL levels in LNB patients and age-matched controls. Age-adjusted NfL values were...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cédric Hirzel, Annina Grütter, Denis Grandgirard, Robert Hoepner, Franziska Suter-Riniker, Stephen L. Leib
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/17562864251314011
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is a biomarker for neuro-axonal injury. Objectives: To assess sNfL’s utility as a diagnostic marker for Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). Methods: We compared serum and CSF NfL levels in LNB patients and age-matched controls. Age-adjusted NfL values were used in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Results: Eighty-six patients (30 LNB, 29 with-, and 27 without neurological disorders) were included. Compared to individuals without neurological disease, LNB patients showed increased serum (median (interquartile range, IQR): 36.3 pg/ml (19.3–112.0) vs 20 pg/ml (12.9–37.3), p  < 0.001) and CSF NfL levels (median (IQR): 1000.0 pg/ml (286.0–6471.0) vs 182 pg/ml (99.3–474.0), p  < 0.001). NfL concentrations were similar in LNB and other neurological disorders. ROC analysis of age-adjusted sNfL and CSF NfL levels showed areas under the curve of 0.78 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66–0.89) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.71–0.94), respectively. Conclusion: sNfL concentrations lack sufficient diagnostic capability for LNB diagnosis.
ISSN:1756-2864