[Serum cytokine concentration as prognostic factor in patients with alcoholic liver disease]

Estimation if the serum concentration of cytokines: IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alfa and CRP can be useful in the assessment of prognosis in patients with alcoholic hepatitis (ALH) and alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC). Attempt to find their correlation with clinical stage and life prognosis in all patients.

We examined 24 patients with alcoholic liver disease, hospitalised in Department of Gastroenterology: 13 male and 11 female at the age 26-72 years. According to clinical symptoms and laboratory tests in 15 of them alcoholic hepatitis (in 9 confirmed by liver biopsy) and in 9 - liver cirrhosis (2 confirmed by liver biopsy) were diagnosed. The interview, physical examination, abdominal ultrasound, biochemical tests and viral tests were performed in all patients. We excluded patients treated with steroids and cytostatics. Serum concentration of cytokines and CRP were established three times during the first week of hospitalisation.

In all patients IL-2 and IL-4 concentration were in a range characteristic for healthy people. There was statistically important correlation between the severe clinical stage and high concentration of serum IL-6 (p<0.000319), IL-8 (p<0.000708), TNF-alfa (p<0.000018) and CRP (p< 0.001611) in patients with ALC. High concentration of serum IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alfa and CRP were correlated with poor prognosis (3 patients with ALC and the highest concentration died). High concentration of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alfa and CRP were correlated with heavy clinical stage and poor prognosis so their evaluation can be helpful in the assessment of prognosis in patients with ALC and ALH.