Korean J Pediatr.  2004 May;47(5):515-520.

Cytokines in Neonatal Sepsis

• Park HJ
• Kim SY
• Lee JH
• Choi EJ
• Kim JK
• Kim SG
• Chung HL
• Kim WT

Abstract

PURPOSE
Maternal premature rupture of membrane(PROM) over 24 hours is a risk factor in neonatal sepsis and a main cause of administration to neonatal intensive care unit. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines were studied to diagnose and treat early in newborn infants with sepsis and with a history of maternal PROM.
METHODS
Interleukin-1beta(IL-1beta), Interleukin-6(IL-6), Interleukin-8(IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) were checked using ELISA kits in neonatal infants who were admitted to the Catholic University of Daegu from May, 2002 to Feb, 2003. We divided them into three sets of groups; sepsis group(n=26), PROM group(n=20), and control group(n=24).
RESULTS
Levels of IL-1beta, IL-8, and TNF-alpha in the sepsis group were all significantly statistically different from the PROM and the control group, but there was no significant difference between the PROM group and the control group. Levels of IL-6 in the sepsis, the PROM, and the control group were all significantly statistically different from each other.
CONCLUSION
Levels of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha in the sepsis group increased but only levels of IL-6 in the PROM group increased. Thus we can use cytokines as a marker of neonatal sepsis, especially, in neonatal infants with a history of maternal PROM.

Keyword

Sepsis; Interleukin-1beta; Interleukin-6; Interleukin-8; TNF-alpha; Premature rupture of membrane

MeSH Terms

Cytokines*
Daegu
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Intensive Care, Neonatal
Interleukin-1beta
Interleukin-6
Interleukin-8
Necrosis
Risk Factors
Rupture
Sepsis*
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Cytokines
Interleukin-1beta
Interleukin-6
Interleukin-8
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha