title: Plasma interleukin-18 reflects severity of ulcerative colitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ulcerative colitis activity and plasma or mucosal concentrations of interleukin (IL)-18.
  
  
  METHODS
  Il-18 concentrations were measured in plasma and mucosal samples from 15 patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean plasma concentration of IL-18 measured in all patients (422+/-88 pg/mL) doubled the mean value in healthy controls (206+/-32 pg/mL); however, the difference was not statistically significant. Plasma IL-18 levels revealed a significant positive correlation with scored endoscopic degree of mucosal injury, disease activity index, clinical activity index and C-reactive protein concentration. The mean concentration of plasma IL-18 was significantly higher in patients with severe ulcerative colitis (535+/-115 pg/mL) than in patients with mild ulcerative colitis (195+/-41 pg/mL), and in healthy controls. Although the mucosal mean IL-18 concentration in severe ulcerative colitis (2 523+/-618 pg/mg protein) doubled values observed in mild one (1 347+/-308 pg/mg protein), there was no statistically significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma IL-18 can be considered as a surrogate marker helpful in evaluation of ulcerative colitis activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Intestinal Diseases Unit, Medical University of Bialystok, Zurawia str. 14, 15-540 Bialystok, Poland. alicja@poczta.onet.pl
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiercinska-Drapalo
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Flisiak
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jaroszewicz
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prokopowicz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020382:Interleukin-18