[Aqueous humor and serum interleukin-6 in patients with uveitis].
OBJECTIVE
A study on local and systemic behavior of interleukin-6 in patients with active uveitis.


METHODS
IL-6 levels were measured in aqueous humor and peripheral blood samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from 23 patients with uveitis and 16 control patients who had been operated for uncomplicated cataracts.


RESULTS
Aqueous humor of patients with uveitis showed higher levels of interleukin-6 than those of controls (p<0.001). A comparison of cytokine levels between aqueous humor and serum from patients with uveitis showed significantly higher levels of interleukin-6 in aqueous than serum (p<0.001). Correlation studies using regression test for successive steps failed to demonstrate any association between interleukin-6 levels and the different clinical characteristics of uveitis patients (laterality, onset, patterns, visual damage, localization, inflammatory activity, etiology, and association with the B27 + histocompatibility antigen).


CONCLUSIONS
IL-6 is a cytokine that actively participates in the pathogenesis of clinical uveitis. Our data emphasize the greater local than systemic participation of this cytokine.
Santos Lacomba
M
M
Departamento de Oftalmología, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, España. med000346@nacom.es
Marcos Martín
C
C
Gallardo Galera
J M
JM
Collantes Estévez
E
E
Ramírez Chamond
R
R
Omar
M
M
Gómez Vidal
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000737:chemistry*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014605:Uveitis / Q000378:metabolism*
D015850:Interleukin-6