Highlights
- •IL-6 is a multifunctional inflammatory cytokine of interest in ALS.
- •In ALS patients and healthy controls IL-6 increases with aging.
- •In ALS, respiratory distress was associated with higher IL-6 levels.
- •IL-6 should be explored as a marker of respiratory failure in ALS.
Abstract
Background
IL-6 is an inflammatory cytokine that is a possible factor in progression of the disease.
We have investigated venous blood levels of IL-6 in controls and ALS patients in relation
to clinical staging and respiratory function.
Methods
We studied 82 patients with ALS and 43 age and gender-matched healthy control subjects.
Blood was drawn at the same time of day in the mornings to avoid diurnal variation.
IL-6 levels were estimated according to a fixed protocol. Clinical measures included
ALSFRS-R, vital capacity, and mean bilateral phrenic nerve CMAP amplitude. A multi-regression
data analysis was used in addition to conventional statistical methods.
Results
IL-6 levels were positively correlated with increasing age in the control group. In
ALS patients mean IL-6 levels were raised but the levels were markedly variable from
case to case and did not reach significance (p 0.1). In addition to age effects reduction
in phrenic nerve CMAP amplitude was correlated with increased IL-6 levels (p 0.026).
Conclusions
IL-6 levels were physiologically influenced by aging in controls and by respiratory
dysfunction in ALS. There was marked variability in levels from case to case, which
might be related to respiratory factors, which cause pulmonary inflammation.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 16, 2019
Accepted:
January 15,
2019
Received in revised form:
December 24,
2018
Received:
October 28,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.
