Relationship between IL-6 and IL-10 Inflammatory Cytokines and Severity Criteria in Trauma Victims.

Abstract

Background: The severity of the clinical status of polytrauma patients may be associated with an increase in the systemic inflammatory state mediated by cytokines. In fact, it has been suggested that the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines can be used as prognostic indicators in trauma patients, since higher levels of IL-6 and lower levels of IL-10 are associated with worse outcomes, according to the trend shown in recent studies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify the relationship between the levels of these cytokines and the severity of the trauma. Methods: Prospective and analytical study carried out with 20 patients over 18 years of age, victims of trauma, who met the criteria for transfusion of blood components according to the Shock Index (SI) and Assessment of Blood Consumption (ABC Score) as a predictor of severity, at the time of admission (T0) and 48 hours after (T1) admission to the emergency room. Blood samples were collected at these two times to assess the serum concentration of IL-6 and IL-10. Results: Most patients were male (90%), with a mean age of 33.2 years. In total, 18 patients scored on the Shock Index (90%), 2 patients scored on the ABC Score (10%), and 6 patients (30%) received a score on both. Lower serum IL-10 concentrations were observed at T1 than at T0. IL-6 levels showed no differences between times. Significant positive correlations between IL-6 and IL-10 were evidenced at T0 (p=0.0065) and T1 (p=0.0263). There was an association of IL-6 levels with the ABC score and of IL-10 with the SI score. Conclusion: Although IL-6 serum levels alone did not change, IL-10 levels were reduced 48 hours after patient admission. In addition, the criteria for patient selection showed a significant association with the cytokines IL-6 and IL-10, suggesting that in addition to being predictors of blood transfusion, they could also be used as markers of severity in polytrauma patients.