The results showed that BAFF levels were correlated positively with the serum levels of CK, LDH and CRP in anti-MDA5+DM patients (r = 0.518, p = 0.001 for CK; r = 0.393, p = 0.016 for LDH; r = 0.350, p = 0.035 for CRP; respectively) (Fig. 2A-C). Here, CRP is linked to dermatomyositis.