We aimed to systematically assess the overall value of interleukin 6 (IL‐6) in diagnosing neonates with sepsis. A systematic literature search was conducted using the following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane, to identify eligible studies through the index words updated till November 2018. Cross‐sectional studies, as well as prospective cohort studies, were included in the above‐mentioned group of eligible studies. We also searched the literature sources that had a link to the present study, which were further assessed by heterogeneity through the use of a proper‐effects model to calculate pooled weighted specificity, sensitivity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). We also conducted summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) analyses for neonatal sepsis. In the present meta‐analysis, there were 31 studies exploring IL‐6 for the diagnostic accuracy of neonatal sepsis. The global specificity and sensitivity of IL‐6 for neonatal sepsis were as follows: 88% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 83%‐92%) and 82% (95% CI: 77%‐86%), respectively. The global positive and negative likelihood ratio of IL‐6 in diagnosing neonatal sepsis were 7.03 (95% CI: 4.81‐10.26) and 0.20 (95% CI: 0.15‐0.26), respectively. The global DOR was 29.54 (95%CI: 18.56‐47.04) of IL‐6. In addition, the area under the SROC was high for IL‐6 (AUC = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.89‐0.94). In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis to assess the diagnostic accuracy studies of IL‐6 in diagnosing neonatal sepsis. Our results suggested that IL‐6 is a valid and accurate index in diagnosing early neonatal sepsis, but it still needs to be combined with other laboratory tests and specific clinical manifestations.
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