title: Serum levels of ghrelin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 in infants and children with congenital heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate serum levels of ghrelin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in infants and children with congenital heart disease (CHD), compared with levels in age-matched controls, and to correlate the levels of ghrelin with TNF-alpha and IL-6.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Suzan Moubarak Hospital of Al-Minya University, Egypt.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured serum ghrelin, TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels using ELISA in 60 patients with CHD (40 acyanotic and 20 cyanotic) and in 20 control subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results showed that patients with CHD, regardless of the presence or absence of cyanosis, had significantly higher serum ghrelin, TNF-alpha and IL-6 than controls (p = 0.000). Serum levels of ghrelin and TNF-alpha in the acyanotic patients were significantly higher than in the cyanotic patients (p = 0.000). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in serum levels of IL-6 between the acyanotic and the cyanotic patients (p = 0.126). In acyanotic and cyanotic patients with CHD, there was a positive correlation between ghrelin and TNF-alpha (r = 0.424; p = 0.006 and r = 0.577; p = 0.008, respectively). Ghrelin levels were not correlated to IL-6 in the acyanotic and cyanotic patients with CHD (r = -0.211; p = 0.216 and r = -0.341; p = 0.08, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum ghrelin, TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels are elevated in patients with CHD whether acyanotic or cyanotic. Increased ghrelin levels represent malnutrition and growth retardation in these patients. The relation of ghrelin with TNF-alpha may be explained by the possible effect of chronic congestive heart failure and chronic shunt hypoxemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Minya University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed Farouk
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Afify
authors.forename: Gamal B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Mohamed Abd
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: El-Maboud
authors.forename: Esmat A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Abdel-Latif
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003490:Cyanosis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004534:Egypt; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood*; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology; D007223:Infant; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000503:physiopathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha