Clinical research of the effect of glucocorticoid on the serum levels of cytokines in myasthenia gravis children / 中国医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the changes of cytokines in myasthenia gravis children and the effect of glucocorticoid on the serum levels of them.Methods Forty cases of myasthenia gravis children were the observation group which was divided to group one (pre-glucocorticoid therapy)and group two (post-glucocorticoid therapy),and 20 cases of healthy children in the same period as the normal control group.The serum levels of cytokines INF-γ,TGF-β1,IL-10 and IL-18 of the observation group one and two and the normal control group were detected by ELISA and were compared between the observation group one and the normal control group and the observation group one and two.Results The serum levels of cytokine INF-γand IL-18 were higher and IL-10 and TGF-β1 were lower in the observation group than in the normal control group,the differences were statistically significant (t =4.45 ~16.72,P 0.05).Conclusions Cytokines INF-γ,TGF-β1,IL-10 and IL-18 are involved and probably play different roles in the pathogene-sis of myasthenia gravis in children;Glucocorticoid could affect the secretion of cytokines IFN-γ,TGF-β1 and IL-18 of myasthenia gravis children,which would ultimately to achieve the aim of interfering and con-trolling the clinical symptom of myasthenia gravis in children.