[Cord blood levels of interleukin 6 in preterm infants as an early marker of neonatal morbidity]. / Determinación de interleucina 6 en sangre de cordón en prematuros, como indicador precoz de morbilidad neonatal.

INTRODUCTION: The prematurity rate in our country is 8-9 %. Despite the decrease in neonatal mortality during the last decade, there is still a high incidence of neonatal morbidity and its subsequent sequelae. It is well known that the fetal inflammatory response plays an important role in the presence of neonatal morbidity. The aim of this study is to determine if interleukin 6 (IL-6) measurements in cord blood are a useful parameter to recognize those preterms with higher probability of suffering neonatal morbidity. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Descriptive and prospective study in newborns with gestational ages (GA) < or = 34 weeks. We determined IL-6 levels in cord blood; white cell count and C reactive protein (CRP) levels at 0, 12, 24 and 72 hours of life, and blood culture at admission. Clinical data was also collected, including perinatology factors, symptomatology on admission and subsequent evolution until discharge or death. RESULTS: We included 99 newborns with a GA between 23 and 34 weeks and birth weights between 480 and 2,855 g. Levels of IL-6 > 10 pg/ml show a significant correlation between maternal fever and/or chorioamnionitis (P = 0.005), a weak but significant correlation (P = 0.05, r = 0.3) between increased levels of CRP at 24 hours of life and Critical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB) score > or = 4 (P < 0.003, r = 0.2) and a significant correlation (P = 0.04) with the presence of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and with length of hospital stay (P = 0.0015). Patients with a lower GA show a trend to have higher levels of IL-6. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 could be a useful and early marker of neonatal morbidity. Its rapid ability to predict neonatal morbidity gives it an advantage over other classical blood markers.

Determinación de interleucina 6 en sangre de cordón en prematuros, como indicador precoz de morbilidad neonatal / Cord blood levels of interleukin 6 in preterm infants as an early marker of neonatal morbidity

Introducción: La incidencia de prematuridad en nuestro país es aproximadamente del 8-9 %. A pesar del descenso de la mortalidad en este grupo de pacientes durante las últimas décadas, la morbilidad en el período neonatal y las secuelas posteriores siguen siendo elevadas. Se sabe que la respuesta inflamatoria fetal tiene un papel importante en la presencia de morbilidad neonatal. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar si la interleucina 6 (IL-6) en sangre de cordón es un parámetro útil para identificar a los prematuros que tienen mayor probabilidad de presentar morbilidad neonatal. Pacientes y método: Estudio descriptivo, prospectivo en recién nacidos con edad gestacional (EG) de hasta 34 semanas. Se determina IL-6 en sangre de cordón; recuento leucocitario y proteína C reactiva (PCR) a las 0, 12, 24 y 72 h de vida, y hemocultivo al ingresar. Se recogen factores perinatológicos, clínica en el momento del ingreso y evolución posterior hasta el alta o fallecimiento. Resultados: Se incluyen 99 recién nacidos con EG entre 23 y 34 semanas y peso al nacer entre 480 y 2.855 g. Los valores de IL-6 > 10 pg/ml muestran una correlación significativa con el antecedente de fiebre y/o corioamnionitis materna (p = 0,005), correlación débil pero significativa (p = 0,05; r = 0,3) con valores elevados de PCR a las 24 h de vida y con valores de la puntuación del índice de riesgo clínico para niños (CRIB) ≥ 4 (p = 0,003; r = 0,2) y correlación significativa (p = 0,04) con la presencia de leucomalacia periventricular (LPV) y con los días de ingreso (p = 0,015). En los pacientes con menor EG se observa una tendencia a mostrar valores de IL-6 más elevados. Conclusiones La IL-6 puede ser un marcador útil y precoz de morbilidad neonatal. Su precocidad para predecir morbilidad supone una ventaja frente a los marcadores analíticos clásicos (AU)

Introduction: The prematurity rate in our country is 8-9 %. Despite the decrease in neonatal mortality during the last decade, there is still a high incidence of neonatal morbidity and its subsequent sequelae. It is well known that the fetal inflammatory response plays an important role in the presence of neonatal morbidity. The aim of this study is to determine if interleukin 6 (IL-6) measurements in cord blood are a useful parameter to recognize those preterms with higher probability of suffering neonatal morbidity. Patients and method: Descriptive and prospective study in newborns with gestational ages (GA) ≤ 34 weeks. We determined IL-6 levels in cord blood; white cell count and C reactive protein (CRP) levels at 0, 12, 24 and 72 hours of life, and blood culture at admission. Clinical data was also collected, including perinatology factors, symptomatology on admission and subsequent evolution until discharge or death. Results: We included 99 newborns with a GA between 23 and 34 weeks and birth weights between 480 and 2,855 g. Levels of IL-6 > 10 pg/ml show a significant correlation between maternal fever and/or chorioamnionitis (P = 0.005), a weak but significant correlation (P = 0.05, r = 0.3) between increased levels of CRP at 24 hours of life and Critical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB) score ≥ 4 (P < 0.003, r = 0.2) and a significant correlation (P = 0.04) with the presence of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and with length of hospital stay (P = 0.0015). Patients with a lower GA show a trend to have higher levels of IL-6. Conclusions IL-6 could be a useful and early marker of neonatal morbidity. Its rapid ability to predict neonatal morbidity gives it an advantage over other classical blood markers (AU)