Serum Levels of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines in Children with Sickle Cell Disease in Rivers State, Nigeria

Aim: To assess the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in children with sickle cell disease in steady- state and vaso-occlusive crises in comparison to healthy children of the genotype HbAA.

Study Design: Case-Control study

Place and Duration of Study: University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, January to June 2016

Methodology: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to assess serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, IL-6 and IFN- ϒ) in children with HbSS in steady- state and vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) in comparison with healthy children with HbAA. Analysis of Variance was used to compare serum cytokine levels between the three groups and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The study showed significantly higher levels (p < 0.05) of IFN-γ in HbSS subjects at steady- state and vaso-occlusive crises (112.3 ± 23.75 pg/ml and 596.5 ± 225.2 pg/ml respectively) in comparison with healthy children with HbAA (97 ± 27.11 pg/ml). IL-8 levels were also higher in steady- state and children in VOC (764.4 ± 150.5 pg/ml and 1076 ± 216.2 pg/ml) compared to 502 ± 179.40 pg/ml in healthy HbAA subjects. The mean IL-6 concentrations were 30.82 ± 10.06 pg/ml, 45.0 ± 10.94 pg/ml and 188.3 ± 104.9 pg/ml in HbAA subjects, HbSS steady-state and VOC patients respectively.

Conclusion: The finding of the study suggests that there is a relationship between the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and the vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell disease. Evaluation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines showed that IL-8 could be a useful marker for assessing disease severity and, consequently, therapeutic intervention.