ABSTRACT
STUDY DESIGN: Serum levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured over a 12-week period in 23 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) with and without neurological improvement. OBJECTIVES: To determine the course of IL-1ß and TNF-α in patients with SCI and observe a possible relationship between improvements in neurological functioning and cytokine levels. SETTING: All patients were treated at the BG Trauma Centre, Ludwigshafen, Germany. All lab work was done at the University Hospital, Heidelberg. METHODS: Spinal cord injury was classified according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale (AIS) in 23 patients. TNF-α and IL-1ß levels were measured upon arrival at the hospital, after 4 h, 9 h and 12 h, on days 1 and 3 and at the end of weeks 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12. RESULTS: Temporal changes in TNF-α and IL-1ß in SCI patients were seen. Patients with AIS improvement (Group 1) had significantly lower TNF-α levels at 9 h compared with patients without AIS improvement (Group 2; P<0.01). The course of IL-1ß fluctuated greatly between 4 h and week 1 in the groups; however, between 2 and 12 weeks post trauma, there was an overall decline in both groups. CONCLUSION: Measuring serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1ß over time could be useful in tracking the course of SCI. Our data show differences in measured cytokines over a 12-week period for SCI patients with and without neurological improvement.
