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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
In Vivo Protocol of Controlled Subconcussive Head Impacts for the Validation of Field Study Data
Published on: April 18, 2019
Correlation between serum IL-6 and CRP levels and severity of head injury in children
P Kalabalikis1, K Papazoglou, D Gouriotis
1Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, P & A Kyiakou Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Insights
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are elevated in children after head injury (HI), with higher levels indicating greater severity. However, these protein levels did not correlate with patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Neuroinflammation research
- Biomarker discovery in traumatic brain injury
Background:
- Head injury (HI) in children can trigger systemic inflammatory responses.
- Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are key inflammatory markers.
- Understanding their dynamics post-HI is crucial for assessing injury severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure serum levels of IL-6 and CRP in pediatric patients following head injury.
- To investigate the relationship between IL-6 and CRP levels and the severity of head injury.
- To explore potential correlations between these inflammatory markers and clinical outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Prospective clinical study involving 45 children with head injury.
- Serum IL-6 and CRP levels were measured over 4 days post-injury.
- Severity of head injury assessed using Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) scores.
Main Results:
- Peak serum IL-6 levels were observed at 4 hours post-injury, while CRP levels peaked at 48 hours.
- Higher IL-6 and CRP levels were significantly associated with lower GCS and higher PRISM scores, indicating increased injury severity.
- A significant positive correlation was found between peak IL-6 and CRP levels (r = 0.49, p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Serum IL-6 and CRP are elevated in children with head injuries, reflecting injury severity.
- While biomarkers of severity, IL-6 and CRP levels did not correlate with mortality or clinical outcomes in this cohort.
- Further research may explore their role in the acute phase response rather than long-term prognosis.
Objective:
To examine interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) release in children with head injury (HI) and investigate if there is a correlation between the levels of these two proteins and the severity of HI.
Design:
Prospective clinical investigation.
Setting:
Eight-bed paediatric intensive care unit in a university hospital.
Patients:
Forty-five children were followed up for 4 days after HI and their serum IL-6 and CRP levels were measured.
Measurements And Results:
Peak serum IL-6 levels occurred 4 h postinjury, decreasing over time. CRP was normal 4 h after injury, then increased reaching peak levels in 48 h. Children with admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 8 or less had higher IL-6 levels compared to children with GCS scores higher than 8, 4 and 12 h post-injury (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). IL-6 was higher in children with admission PRISM scores of 10 or more than in those with PRISM scores lower than 10 at 4 and 12 h (p<0.05). CRP levels were higher in patients with GCS scores of 8 or less compared to patients with GCS scores higher than 8 at 24, 48 and 72 h (p<0.05, p<0.02 and p<0.02, respectively) . Patients with PRISM scores of 10 or more had higher CRP levels compared to those with PRISM scores lower than 10 at 24, 48 and 72 h (p<0.05). Peak CRP levels correlated well with peak IL-6 levels (r = 0.49, p<0.001). No correlation between IL-6 or CRP levels and mortality or clinical outcome was found.
Conclusions:
Serum IL-6 and CRP levels are elevated in children with HI and there is a relation between the severity of HI and the levels of these proteins. There was no correlation between IL-6, CRP and outcomes of the patients.
