Of the 42 cytokines included in our analysis, only 15 were detectable in a consistent number of patients, and their differential levels confirmed that systemic cytokine levels are not effective for predicting or diagnosing IBD.18 Only the chemokines Regulated upon Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Presumably Secreted and IP-10 and the cytokine IFNα2 were significantly higher in concentration in patients with IBD, whereas the other cytokines detected were lower in concentration. This evidence concerns the gene IFNA2 and inflammatory bowel disease.