High IL-6 Serum Levels are Associated with Septic Shock and Mortality in Septic Patients with Severe Leukopenia due to Hematological Malignancies

Abstract

The serum levels of immunoreactive interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were analyzed in 14 leukopenic patients with documented sepsis, at 60 min (TO), 24h (Tl), 48h (T2) and 1 week (T3) after the onset of sepsis syndrome. Sera from 10 leukopenic patients without sepsis (controls) were also tested. All septic patients had high IL-6 levels at TO. These levels persisted only in the seven patients who died of septic shock, presenting a 30-fold increase (p < 0.001) as compared to the survivors and the controls. At T3, 7 survivors had recovered from sepsis and showed low IL-6 serum levels. The TNF serum concentration always < 30 pg/ml in both the subjects and in the controls. The C-reactive protein (CRP) and clinical parameters appeared to be less specifically associated with shock and mortality than IL-6.