VEGFA and Sepsis: Serum levels of four cytokines were significantly elevated in patients with AOSD compared with those with sepsis (median FGF-2, 48.7 pg/mL vs. 25.7, p < 0.0001; median GM-CSF, 13.1 pg/mL vs. 1.8 pg/mL, p < 0.0001; median IL-18, 12,070 pg/mL vs. 104.7 pg/mL, p < 0.0001; and median VEGF, 333.3 pg/mL vs. 28.6 pg/mL, p < 0.0001) (Fig. 1).