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High serum interleukin-6 concentration upon admission is predictive of disease severity in paediatric trauma patients
Yingge Ma1, Yujun Wang2, Yanna Yao3
1Department of Emergency, Xi'an Children's Hospital (The Affiliated Children's Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University), No. 69, Xi JuYuan Lanc, Lian Hu District, Shaanxi, 86-710003, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels significantly correlate with paediatric trauma severity. Elevated IL-6 indicates more severe injuries, serving as a key predictor for disease activity in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Trauma Surgery
- Clinical Immunology
Background:
- Trauma is a leading global cause of mortality in children.
- Monitoring inflammatory responses in pediatric trauma patients is crucial for assessing injury severity.
- Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a potential biomarker for inflammatory status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive value of serum IL-6 levels for trauma severity in pediatric patients.
- To assess the clinical association between IL-6 levels and disease activity in pediatric trauma.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 106 pediatric trauma patients over 17 months.
- Serum IL-6 levels were measured and correlated with the Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS).
- Statistical analysis, including Spearman's test, was used to determine correlations.
Main Results:
- Elevated IL-6 levels were observed in 71.70% of patients.
- A significant negative correlation was found between IL-6 levels and PTS (rs = -0.757, p < 0.001).
- IL-6 showed correlations with various clinical markers, including liver enzymes, white blood cells, lactate, IL-10, hs-CRP, glucose, fibrinogen, and pH.
Conclusions:
- Serum IL-6 levels increase significantly with escalating pediatric trauma severity.
- IL-6 serves as a valuable indicator for predicting disease severity and activity in pediatric trauma patients.
Background:
Trauma is the leading cause of death among children worldwide. The inflammatory response of paediatric patients to multiple injuries can be monitored using serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. This study aimed to assess the value of IL-6 levels in predicting the severity of paediatric trauma and its clinical association with disease activity.
Method:
We prospectively tested serum IL-6 levels and evaluated the Paediatric Trauma Score (PTS) and other clinical data among 106 paediatrics trauma patients from January 2022 to May 2023 at the Emergency Department of the Xi'an Children's Hospital in China. The relationship between IL-6 and trauma severity levels by PTS was analyzed statistically.
Results:
IL-6 levels were elevated in 76 (71.70%) of the 106 paediatric patients with trauma. Spearman's test showed a significant negative linear correlation between IL-6 and PTS (rs = - 0.757, p < 0.001). IL-6 levels were moderate positively correlated with alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, white blood cells, blood lactic acid and interleukin 10 (rs = 0.513, 0.600, 0.503, 0.417, 0.558, p < 0.01). IL-6 levels were positively correlated with hypersensitive C-reactive protein and glucose (rs = 0.377, rs = 0.389, respectively, p < 0.001). IL-6 levels were negatively correlated with fibrinogen and PH (rs = - 0.434, p < 0.001; rs = - 0.382, respectively, p < 0.001). Binary scatter plots further demonstrated higher levels of IL-6 correlated with lower PTS scores.
Conclusion:
Serum IL-6 levels significantly increased with increasing severity of paediatric trauma. Serum levels of IL-6 can function as important indicators for predicting disease severity and activity in paediatric trauma patients.
