Interleukin-18 serum levels in sepsis: Correlation with disease severity and inflammatory markers

Cytokine. 2019 Aug:120:22-27. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2019.04.003. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Abstract

Purpose: Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection and a syndrome shaped by pathogen and host factors with characteristic that evolve over time. The study was conducted to evaluate the prognostic and discriminative value of IL-18 assessment in comparison to PCT, CRP, WBC in early stage of sepsis and septic shock.

Methods: An observational and prospective study was conducted in the group of 40 ICU patients with diagnosis of sepsis or septic shock, serum PCT, IL-18, CRP and WBC measurements were performed on admission, and on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th therapy day. The level of IL-18 was determined with commercially available test according to manufacturer's protocol.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in IL-18 levels in survivors vs non-survivors and in sepsis vs septic shock subgroups the IL-18 levels were statistically significant in the course of the study except for the 5th day.

Conclusion: The PCT, CRP and WBC levels revealed no significant differences between any analyzed subgroups in all time points during study. According to our results the IL-18 is a biomarker better differentiating sepsis and septic shock status than PCT, CRP and WBC but with no prognostic impact.

Keywords: Biomarker; Interleukin 18; Sepsis; Septic shock.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biomarkers / blood*
  • Calcitonin / blood
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / blood*
  • Inflammation / complications*
  • Interleukin-18 / blood*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Organ Dysfunction Scores
  • ROC Curve
  • Sepsis / blood*
  • Sepsis / complications*
  • Sepsis / microbiology
  • Severity of Illness Index*
  • Shock, Septic / blood
  • Shock, Septic / diagnosis
  • Shock, Septic / microbiology
  • Survivors

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • IL18 protein, human
  • Interleukin-18
  • Calcitonin