title: Serum interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations in children with mycoplasma pneumonia.
abstract: A prospective study was performed to assess the relationship among interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, C-reactive protein serum concentrations, and the severity of mycoplasma pneumonia in 49 children. Mycoplasma pneumonia was diagnosed by chest film and anti-Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgM antibody test. Serum concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Interleukin-6 serum levels in mycoplasma pneumonia patients with fever for more than 3 days (41.98 +/- 67.46 [SD] pg/mL) were significantly higher than those in patients with fever < or = 3 days (10.01 +/- 11.74 pg/mL, p < 0.05). Interleukin-6 serum levels in those patients whose chest films revealed patchy consolidations or pleural effusion (58.11 +/- 92.19 pg/mL) were significantly higher than those in patients whose chest films revealed peribronchial interstitial infiltration (15.94 +/- 20.81 pg/mL, p < 0.05). The mean levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha were not statistically significant in the different duration of fever and chest film findings. These results suggest that interleukin-6 serum concentration, rather than tumor necrosis factor-alpha, may be a potential indicator of the severity and outcome of mycoplasma pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D002097:C-Reactive Protein