Determination and significance of serum Interleukin-18 levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection = B형 간염 바이러스 만성 감염자에 있어서의 혈청 Interleukin-18의 측정 및 유용성

Abstract

Background : The aim of our study was to investigate the diagnostic value of interleukin-18 (IL-18) and other cytokines in chronic liver disease patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV), including chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB), liver cirhhosis (LC) with HBV, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with HBV. Methods : Serum levels of IL-18, interferon-gamma (INF-gamma), IL-4 and tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNF-alpha) were evaluated using ELISA in 87 patients with liver diseases with HBV (asymptomatic carriers, 9; CHB, 19; LC, 40; and HCC, 19), 13 patients with non-hepatic diseases (NHD), and 9 normal controls. Results : Serum IL-18 levels of CHB, LC with HBV and HCC with HBV patients were higher than those of healthy controls and asymptomatic carriers (P<0.05). Serum IFN-gamma and IL-4 levels were not significantly increased in all groups, but TNF-alpha levels were increased in LC and HCC patients (P<0.05). Conclusions : Determination of IL-18 may be useful in assessing the severity and predicting the prognosis of liver dieases with HBV.