Assessment of Interleukin -6 in Pediatric thrombocytopenic patients

Abstract

Plasma concentration of the most potent megakaryopoietic cytokines TPO and IL-6 was evaluated in 74 patients with ITP or aplastic anemia and 13 normal healthy children as a control group. Patients with acquired aplastic and fanconi anemia had TPO levels highly elevated when compared with ITP and normal controls. Measurement of TPO level may have clinical useful application as it helps differentiation between thrombocytopenia due to ITP and that due to bone marrow failure. Also, IL-6 was elevated in 45.5% of patients with aplastic anemia and in 27% of patients with ITP. it was found that there is no correlation between platelet count and IL-6 serum level.