title: Interleukin 18 levels reflect the severity of acute pancreatitis.
abstract: The serum interleukin 18 (IL-18) levels were significantly increased in cases of acute pancreatitis, corresponding to the severity of the disease. The IL-18 levels were also significantly correlated with the serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and bilirubin levels. The possible involvement of IL-18 in the development of liver dysfunction in acute pancreatitis is suggested.
authors.affiliation: Critical Care and Emergency Center, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, Morioka 020-8505, Japan. sendo@iwate-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha