title: The diagnostic value of serum interleukins 6 and 8 in children with acute gastroenteritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early identification of the pathogen causing acute gastroenteritis in children helps the physicians managing the disease and prevents unnecessary antibiotic treatment. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL) 6 and IL-8 play a major role in immune responses and have been studied in a large number of infectious and noninfectious inflammatory diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the serum IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations early in the course of acute gastroenteritis to see if these cytokines were useful diagnostic markers in differentiating viral from bacterial gastroenteritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interleukin 6, IL-8 and CRP were measured in 18 patients with bacterial gastroenteritis, 21 patients with viral gastroenteritis and 17 healthy children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interleukin 6 and CRP concentrations in patients with bacterial gastroenteritis were significantly higher than those in patients with viral gastroenteritis and healthy controls (P < 0.001). IL-8 concentrations in patients with viral and bacterial gastroenteritis were both increased and were not statistically different. IL-6 and IL-8 levels had diagnostic sensitivities of 79% and 50% and specificities of 86% and 67%, respectively. The combination of IL-6 and CRP had a sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 71%, a positive predictive value of 74% and a negative predictive value of 93.75%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum IL-6 may be a useful marker for early differentiation of viral and bacterial gastroenteritis in children, especially in combination with CRP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chien-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chiea-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Shu-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tzee-Chung
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ruey-Lung
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Ren-Bin
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D002097:C-Reactive Protein