Features of the cytokine balance in infectious hemorrhagic colitis in children

Abstract

The aim of the study was to study the features of cytokine balance and their effect on clinical and laboratory parameters in infectious hemorrhagic colitis in children. Materials and methods. In the Department of intestinal infections in 2018 observed 28 children with infectious haemorrhagic colitis. The diagnosis was established taking into account clinical recommendations; the severity of the disease was determined by the Clark index; the etiology was verified according to bacteriological and molecular studies of feces, serological methods. In the acute period of the disease, the concentration of cytokines in the blood serum — TNF-a, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 was studied by enzyme immunoassay. Mann-Whitney method, Kruskal-Wallis dispersion analysis, Pearson correlation method we used to estimate the obtained data.Results. The age structure of patients was dominated by young children (53.6%). Mild form of the disease was diagnosed in 32.1% of patients, moderate — in 67.9%. A high level of IL-4 was observed against a relatively low level of TNF-a, IL-6 and IL-10. Significantly higher concentrations of TNF-a and IL-6 were found in children with moderate form of the disease. The maximum values of IL-6 were observed in young children, IL-10 — in infants. In the moderate form of the disease, negative correlations of IL-4 with the number of leukocytes (r = –0.46; p = 0.05) and platelets (r = –0.48; p < 0.05) in the hemogram noted. Early age patients were found to have correlations of TNF-a with the relative number of rod neutrophils (r = 0.62; p < 0.01). There was a significant correlation of IL-4 with the relative number of segmental neutrophils (r = 0.49; p < 0.05). The relationship of TNF-a with the severity of the disease (r = 0.42; p < 0.05) revealed. The data on the possible suppressive effect of TNF-a and IL-10 on the synthesis of urea and the relationship of IL-6 with reactive changes in the liver obtained.Conclusion. Studies of cytokine balance in infectious hemorrhagic colitis in children showed the severity of systemic inflammatory response with the activation of Th-2 immune response. The correlation of TNF-a with the severity of the disease was established, which may have diagnostic and prognostic value.