ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Preterm delivery (PTD), defined as a delivery between 24th and 37th completed week, increases the risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality. There is a growing body of evidence that the intrauterine infection as well as cervicovaginal bacterial infections and Chlamydia infections are possible causes of preterm delivery. Host response to cervicovaginal and/or intrauterine infections is coupled with a release of various inflammatory mediators, many of which are cytokines. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to find out if cervical infection influenced the serum levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin 8 (IL-8) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) in patients with the clinical symptoms of the imminent preterm delivery. METHODS: A total of 128 pregnant women (from 24 to 30 weeks of gestation) with the clinical symptoms of the imminent preterm delivery were divided in: study group--85 patients with the cervical infection, and control group--43 patients without the cervical infection. The level of cytokines in the serum was measured with commercial ELISA tests. RESULTS: No significant difference could be found in serum levels of IFN-gamma (p = 0.632), IL-8 (p = 0.712) and IL-10 (p = 0.676) between these two investigated groups. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that there is no significant difference in serum IFN-gamma, IL-8 and IL-10 concentrations between pregnant women with the symptoms of the imminent preterm delivery who had and had no cervical infection.
