Sputum interleukin‐6 level as a marker of severity during acute chest syndrome in children with sickle cell disease

Abstract

SummaryAcute chest syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of morbimortality in sickle cell disease (SCD). In this prospective observational study, we investigated sputum interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) level as an ACS severity marker during 30 ACS episodes in 26 SCD children. Sputum IL‐6 levels measured within the first 72 h of hospitalisation for ACS were significantly higher in patients with oxygen requirement ≥2 L/min, ventilation (invasive and/or non‐invasive) length ≥5 days, bilateral and/or extensive opacities on chest X‐ray or erythrocytapheresis requirement. Sputum IL‐6 could serve as an ACS severity marker to help identify patients requiring targeted anti‐inflammatory treatments such as tocilizumab.