The relation between interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 serum levels and the severity of acquired aplastic anemia in adult patients: A single center study

Aplastic anemia is a lethal bone marrow disease with a heterogeneous etiological background. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 were shown to affect the proliferation and differentiation of primitive hematopoietic cells. They may serve as potential markers for the assessment of severity/prognosis of aplastic anemia. The study aimed to evaluate the levels of IL-6 and IL-8-in patients with aplastic anemia and their relation to disease severity. This study included a total of 35 cases of aplastic anemia, and 27 normal subjects as controls. Levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were quantitatively measured by ELISA. The median serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels in aplastic anemia cases were 125.2 ng/l and 320 ng/l, respectively. These levels were significantly increased in the aplastic anemia patients than in the controls, as the median serum IL-6 was 29.7 ng/l and the median serum IL-8 97ng/l in the controls (p< 0.001). A significant correlation was observed between levels of both IL-6 and IL-8 and the severity of the disease (p<0.001). In conclusion, IL-6 and IL-8 serum levels are higher in patients with aplastic anemia and have a correlation to the severity of the disease.