Assessment of serum level of interleukin-6 in aplastic anemia

Abstract

Background Aplastic anemia (AA) is a severe bone marrow failure condition with a high mortality rate in its severe form if left untreated. Interleukin (IL)-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine with various biological activities, including B-cell terminal differentiation, T cell, and macrophage stimulation. Moreover, they are critical for tissue damage in acute inflammation and have also been shown to be potent inhibitors of myelopoiesis. Aim Our purpose was to assess IL-6 level in AA patients and to correlate it with AA severity. Patients and methods The study was conducted on 40 individuals divided into 20 patients with AA and in-patient clinic of Hematology Department, Faulty of Medicine, Tanta University Hospitals, and 20 apparently healthy participants used as a reference-control group. Results Pallor, weakness, and bleeding were present among 95% of the studied AA cases, while fever and infection were found among 90% of the studied AA cases. High levels of IL-6 were observed in AA. A correlation of increased levels with disease severity has been demonstrated. Conclusion High levels of IL-6 were observed in AA. Increased levels showed a correlation with disease severity, and therefore appear to play an essential role in AA.