LEVELS OF INTERLEUKIN-6 IN NEONATAL SEPSIS

In the present study, with a view to introducing a new marker as a diagnostic aid for neonatal sepsis, Interleukin 6 (IL-6) was measured in a group of healthy, full-term and premature new-born infants and in another group of premature infants with suspected sepsis. In addition, to demonstrate that the cytokine studied does not penetrate the placental membrane, it was measured in a group of women during pregnancy, and during labor, in the cord blood of their children at birth and during their third day of life. The results we obtained confirmed the fact that babies born at term or prematurely do not receive the molecule from their mothers, but are capable of synthesising it early on by themselves. Abnormal values of IL-6 were found in 10 of the 36 babies with suspected sepsis. In these babies, sepsis was confirmed by clinical elements and haemoculture. Only 3 patients presented high revels of IL-6; of these, one died and a positive result was obtained from haemoculture for the other two. Realistically, as demonstrated in the adult, the amount of cytokine is only relevant in cases of serious, systemic infections complicated by septic shock.