The Association between Modulating Inflammatory Cytokines and Constipation of Geriatrics in Iran

BACKGROUND The effect of changes in intestinal microbiota on constipation is contraversial. Constipation is more prevalent in elderly. Therefore, the current study was designed to assess the role of modulating inflammatory cytokines in old age patients with constipation by evaluating the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 (IL-l), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). METHODS This case-control study was done on 100 participants, aged 65 years or higher, with and without functional constipation according to ROME III criteria (50 participants in each group). Baseline demographic, clinical characteristics, and serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 were compared between the case and control groups. Independent t test and Chi-square test were used for analysis of data. RESULTS Mean levels of TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 were (666.80 ± 101.40 pg/mL vs. 489.20 ± 53.68 pg/mL, p < 0.001), (435.96 ± 52.31 pg/mL vs. 296.44 ± 45.50 pg/mL, p < 0.001) and (438.18 ± 59.57 pg/mL vs. 290.14 ± 36.39 pg/mL, p < 0.001) in the case and control groups, respectively. A reverse correlation was found between the aging process and TNF-α (r = -0.26; p = 0.04), as well as IL-1 level (r = -0.41; p = 0.003) in the control group. A direct correlation was observed between the aging process and TNF-α (r = 0.40; p = 0.004) and IL-6 (r = 0.44; p = 0.002) levels in the case group. CONCLUSION This study showed a significant association between the serum level of modulating inflammatory cytokines and age-related constipation in Iranian subjects. It seems that the serum level of modulating inflammatory cytokines can be affected by diversity and abundance in the gut microbiota. The role of diversity in microbial population and their abundance in gut must be evaluated in further studies.