ABSTRACT
Interleukin-8 [IL-8] is a proin Immatory chemokine that induces trafficking of neutrophils across the vascular wall Its release is triggered by inflammatory signals from a large variety of cells including monocytes, rnacrophages, Kupffer cells and hepatocytes. Our aim is to study the IL-8 levels in the serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C [HCV-CH] and whether these levels could be correlated with histological activity index [HAl]. The study included 20 patients with HCV-CH [all +ve for anti-HCV antibodies and RT-PCR] were selected from Mansoura University Hospital [Medical Outpatient Clinic]. All were subjected to thorough history taking, physical examination, routine laboratory investigations, IL-8 levels [measured with commercial ELISA systems], abdominal ultrasound and liver biopsy for HAl according to the grading and staging system of ihak et al. 1995. 10 healthy subjects with equally-matched age and sex were selected as a control group for serum IL-8 levels. IL-8 was significantly elevated in HCV-CH versus control [91.2 +/- 31.38 pg/ml versus 5.77 +/- 1.17 pg/mI]. This elevation correlates with serum bilirubin [r = 0.769, p = 0.01]. ALT [r = 0.764, p = 0.01], and AST [r = 0.620, p = 0.01], It also correlates with HAI grade [r = 0.816, p = 0.01] but not HAI stage [r = 0.108, p = 0.649]. Serum IL-B levels could be considered as a measure of the severity of HCV-CH [significant correlation with HAI grade] but -not the disease progression [insignificant correlation with HAI stage]