Assessment of serum level of interleukin-6 in aplastic anemia

Background Aplastic anemia (AA) is a severe bone marrow failure condition with a high mortality rate in its severe form if left untreated. Interleukin (IL)-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine with various biological activities, including B-cell terminal differentiation, T cell, and macrophage stimulation. Moreover, they are critical for tissue damage in acute inflammation and have also been shown to be potent inhibitors of myelopoiesis.Aim Our purpose was to assess IL-6 level in AA patients and to correlate it with AA severity.Patients and methods The study was conducted on 40 individuals divided into 20 patients with AA and in-patient clinic of Hematology Department, Faulty of Medicine, Tanta University Hospitals, and 20 apparently healthy participants used as a reference-control group.Results Pallor, weakness, and bleeding were present among 95% of the studied AA cases, while fever and infection were found among 90% of the studied AA cases. High levels of IL-6 were observed in AA. A correlation of increased levels with disease severity has been demonstrated.Conclusion High levels of IL-6 were observed in AA. Increased levels showed a correlation with disease severity, and therefore appear to play an essential role in AA.