Diagnostic accuracy of miRNAs as potential biomarkers for systemic lupus erythematosus: a meta-analysis

To systematically evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of miRNAs as potential biomarkers for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Studies were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and China Biology Medicine (CBM) disc database, and languages were limited in English and Chinese. QUADAS-2 tool was applied to assess the quality of eligible studies. Random-effect model was applied to calculate pooled effects of miRNAs on diagnosing SLE. Subgroup analysis was used to explore the sources of heterogeneity. All data were calculated and analyzed by Meta-Disc 1.4 and RevMan 5.3 software. Six eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio of miRNAs were 0.75(95% CI 0.71–0.79), 0.72(95% CI 0.66–0.78), and 8.79(95% CI 4.91–15.73), respectively. The pooled positive likelihood ratio was 2.71(95% CI 2.20–3.33) and negative likelihood ratio was 0.34(95% CI 0.24–0.48). The area under the curve was 0.787. The subgroup analysis showed that the number of healthy controls might be the sources of heterogeneity. MiRNAs in blood have moderate accuracy and influence on diagnosing SLE, and the exact diagnostic value should be confirmed by further studies.