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Published on: April 23, 2021
Interleukin-6 and silent cerebral infarction in hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study
Insights
Elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels are linked to silent cerebral infarctions (SCI) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This finding suggests IL-6 may predict SCI risk in individuals with chronic kidney disease undergoing HD.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Silent cerebral infarctions (SCI) are common and linked to mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients.
- Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels rise with renal dysfunction and may predict cerebrovascular events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between elevated IL-6 levels and the occurrence of SCI in HD patients.
- To determine if IL-6 can serve as a predictor for SCI in this population.
Main Methods:
- Cranial MRI was used to identify SCI in 50 Japanese HD patients.
- Patients were categorized into groups with and without SCI.
- Demographics, metabolic profiles, IL-6 levels, and smoking habits were compared.
Main Results:
- Higher IL-6 levels were observed in patients with SCI (P < 0.0001).
- The prevalence of smokers was higher in the SCI group (P < 0.05).
- Lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and higher uric acid levels were noted in the SCI group (P < 0.05).
- Logistic regression confirmed IL-6 as a significant predictor of SCI (OR 3.13, P < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
- HD patients with chronic renal failure have a higher prevalence of SCI.
- Interleukin-6 is significantly associated with the presence of SCI in HD patients, suggesting its potential as a predictive biomarker.
Background:
In patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis (HD), silent cerebral infarctions (SCI) are associated with high mortality. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) increase with renal dysfunction and may be a novel predictor for cerebrovascular events. We tested the hypothesis that increased IL-6 levels correlate with the occurrence of SCI in HD patients.
Methods:
Using cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings, we divided 50 Japanese patients undergoing HD into two groups: with SCI (60 ± 7 years, mean ± SD, n = 27) and without SCI (60 ± 6 years, n = 23). We compared the gender, body mass index, metabolic profiles, IL-6 levels, and smoking habits between the two groups.
Results:
We made the following observations: (i) The prevalence of diabetes or hypertension did not differ between the two groups, (ii) the level of IL-6 was higher in the with-SCI group than in the without-SCI group (P < 0.0001), (iii) the proportion of smokers was higher in the with-SCI group (P < 0.05), (iv) plasma level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower, whilst uric acid level was higher, in the with-SCI group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively), and (v) multiple logistic regression analysis identified IL-6 levels as being significantly associated with the presence of SCI (odds ratio 3.13, 95% CI = 1.42-7.89, P < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
This study indicates that patients with chronic renal failure who are maintained on HD exhibit an increased prevalence of SCI and that IL-6 is significantly associated with the presence of SCI in HD patients.
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