[The clinical significance of leucocytosis and increase in interleukin content in acute mountain sickness complicated with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To study the role of white blood cell (WBC) and interleukins (ILs) in acute mountain sickness (AMS) complicated with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).


METHODS
Three thousand one hundred and eighty-four patients suffering from severe AMC in the past 50 years were surveyed with questionnaire. Correlation analysis was done to explore the relationship between differential count of WBC and elevation of ILs contents and MODS.


RESULTS
There was no difference in differential count of WBC between essential high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and secondary HAPE. No difference was also found between simple HAPE and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). However, obvious difference in WBC was found between HACE accompanied by HAPE and simple HAPE or simple HACE in the differential counts of WBC, counts of WBC and neutrophil were significantly elevated, while lymphocyte was significantly declined (all P < 0.05). The count of WBC in people suffering from AMS accompanied by MODS was higher than patients only suffering from AMS, lymphocyte was significantly decreased, the difference was obviously (both P < 0.01). The content of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-1, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8 of severe AMS patients were obviously higher than that of normal people, therefore the content of IL-4 in severe AMS patients was obviously lower than that normal people the difference were obvious (all P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
People suffering from AMS also exist systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). SIRS play an important part in MODS which is a major cause of AMS, and it's a critical factor of high altitude MODS.
Zhou
Qi-quan
QQ
Department of Pathophysiology and High Altitude Physiology, High Altitude Military Medicine, Institute of Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China. zhouqq9918@yahoo.com.cn
Liu
Fu-yu
FY
Zheng
Bi-hai
BH
Gao
Yu-qi
YQ
Li
Su-zhi
SZ
Sun
Ze-ping
ZP
Zhang
Shi-fan
SF
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007378:Interleukins / Q000502:physiology*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
D007378:Interleukins