[Proinflammatory cytokine levels in cerebrospinal fluid from children with acute encephalitis]

We investigated interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNF-R 1) during the acute stage in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from children with acute encephalitis by means of a sandwich enzyme immunoassay. We divided the 24 children with acute encephalitis into two groups: those who survived without neurological sequelae (Group 1, n = 15), and those who died or were left with sequelae (Group 2, n = 9). The IL-1 beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha and sTNF-R 1 levels in CSF in the two groups were significantly higher than those in control subjects (n = 23). The CSF sTNF-R 1 levels in Group 2 were significantly higher than those in Group 1. Our findings suggest that the IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in CSF are related to the pathogenesis of acute encephalitis, and that the CSF level of sTNF-R1 during the acute stage of encephalitis is an important index for predicting the neurological outcome.