Serum interleukin-6 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and its relation to severity and acute exacerbation

Background and objectives The role of interleukins in the severity and clinical profile of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not known, but evidence supports the contribution of systemic inflammation to disease pathophysiology. This study evaluated the relationship of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) to the severity and clinical parameters of COPD. Aim of work The aim of the work is to estimate the level of IL-6 in COPD patients and its relation to COPD severity and acute exacerbation. Patients and method We analyzed 45 COPD patients and 45 normal population as control. We estimate the IL-6 level by ELISA and correlate it with the severity and frequency of COPD exacerbation. Results In the current study, we noticed that IL-6 level was high in COPD patients and in those who experience frequent exacerbation. Also, IL-6 show a relation with the parameter of pulmonary function test; there is a statistically significant negative correlation with p-value < 0.05 between the level of IL-6 and the forced expired volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (EFV1/FVC) among cases with COPD, which indicated that decrease in EFV/FVC will associate with the increase in IL-6 level. Conclusions The study revealed that serum IL-6 level elevated with increasing severity of airflow limitation in COPD patients, particularly in acute exacerbation phase. This increase was associated with a reduced quality of life and increased severity of hypoxemia.