Of course, there are many other confounding variables, like medications (e.g., NSAIDs, corticosteroids, antipsychotics), lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol, physical activity), comorbid conditions (metabolic syndrome, autoimmune disease), or hormonal influences (menstrual cycle, menopause), which can mask or mimic disease-specific IL-8 signals. Here, CXCL8 is linked to metabolic syndrome.