Circulating interleukin 17 is increased in the acute stage of Kawasaki disease.
OBJECTIVE
During the acute phase, patients with Kawasaki disease (KD), an acute systemic vasculitis, demonstrate a drastic increase in serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), which parallels the duration of the fever. Recently, IL-17 has been reported to induce IL-6 production. The aim of this study was to elucidate the involvement of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of KD.


METHODS
Serum samples were obtained from patients with KD (n=30) and normal controls (n=20), and the concentrations of IL-17 and IL-6 measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).


RESULTS
Compared with the normal controls (2.08 +/- 2.14 pg/mL), serum IL-17 was markedly elevated in patients with acute KD (25.47 +/- 5.05 pg/mL): levels gradually decreased in the subacute phase (5.94 +/- 2.83 pg/mL). In the acute phase, levels of IL-6 were 83.52 +/- 19.12 pg/L, which correlated well with the serum levels of IL-17.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that IL-17 may be involved in the development of, or the effects of inflammation in KD.
Sohn
M H
MH
Department of Pediatrics and Institute for Immunology and Immunological Diseases, Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Noh
S Y
SY
Chang
W
W
Shin
K M
KM
Kim
D S
DS
D000208:Acute Disease; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D020381:Interleukin-17; D015850:Interleukin-6; D002097:C-Reactive Protein