ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the relationship between bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and child bacterial pneumonia. Methods BALF levels of IL-6, IL-8 were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 26 patients with bacterial pneumonia and 14 controls. Neutrophils and alveolar macrophages (AMs) of BALF were examined. Results BALF levels of IL-6, IL-8, total cell count and neutrophils of child bacterial pneumonia before treatment were significantly higher than those of pneumonia after treatment and controls (P<0.01). BALF levels of IL-6, IL-8 were significantly higher in Gram-negative infection than those in Gram-positive infection (P<0.01). BALF level of IL-6 showed positive correlation with AMs in pneumonia (r=0.7615, P<0.01). BALF level of IL-8 was correlated positively with neutrophils and AMs respectively in pneumonia (r=0.8956, r=0.6018, P<0.01). Conclusions IL-6 and IL-8 play the roles in the development of airway inflammation in child bacterial pneumonia. Detection of BALF levels of IL-6 and IL-8 is valuable to predict the state of child bacterial pneumonia.