[Significance of sequential monitoring of serum IL-18 in renal allograft recipients].
OBJECTIVE
To study the clinical significance of early diagnosis and differential diagnosis of IL-18 by observing its changes in renal allograft recipients with infection, acute rejection and CsA-induced nephrotoxicity.


METHODS
The sequential monitoring of serum IL-18 in 90 patients was conducted by ELISA technique before and after renal transplantation with 30 healthy people as control.


RESULTS
The levels of serum IL-18 levels in the patients for renal transplantation was significantly higher than that in control before operation(P<0.01). The level of serum IL-18 increased on the first day after transplantation, decreased and stabilized after 10 days. However, it maintained the high levels in acute rejection. The level of IL-18 rapidly decreased with effective methylpredmisolone impaction therapy, but persisted at high level when the therapy did not work. IL-18 also increased in infection, but compared with that in CsA-induced nephrotoxicity, there was no significant difference.


CONCLUSIONS
The sequential monitoring of serum IL-18 in renal allograft recipients is a useful method to make early and differential diagnosis of acute renal rejection.
Liu
Zhe
Z
Department of Urology, Xi'an Electric Power Central Hospital , Xi'an 710032, China. liuzhe001@fmmu.edu.cn
Wang
Long-xin
LX
Wang
Fu-li
FL
Qin
Wei-jun
WJ
Zhang
Geng
G
Wang
He
H
Yuan
Jian-lin
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D020382:Interleukin-18; D008775:Methylprednisolone