الفهرس 
Material and methodsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Several reports have suggested an increased IL-6 serum levels in
critically ill infants with sepsis and NEC, and these levels were related to
the severity and outcome of the disease, also they provide an earlier
indicator of neonatal infections than does CRP.
The present study was performed on 45 newborn infants categorized
as follows:
*Fifteen neonates affected by sepsis as proved by HSS and positive
blood culture {group I}.
* Fifteen neonates with NEC diagnosed by clinical manifestations,
radiological findings, and the blood cultures were negative {group
II}.
*Fifteen healthy newborn infants as a control group {group III}.
On admission all cases were clinically examined with radiological
examination for NEC cases. Serum samples for measuring IL-6 & CRP
were collected. Antibiotics were administered to neonates in group I and
II. Serum samples were collected again after 48 hrs. from admission for
measuring IL-6 & CRP to study the effect of treatment on their levels
”with the outcome of the disease and to find the relation between IL-6 and
CRP in the early diagnosis of sepsis and NEC.
In this prospective study we found that serum levels of IL-6 were
increased in neonates with sepsis and NEC early in the course of the
disease. These levels were higher in septicemia than in NEC.
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Summary and conclusion
We observed that after the start of therapy with antibiotics IL-6
serum levels decreased concomitantly with improvement of the clinical
situation within two days in survivors. After 48 hrs. the levels of IL-6
were related to the severity and outcome of the illness, they were much
higher in non-survivors than in survivors.
We studied the sensitivity and specificity ofIL-6 early in the course
of illness, in sepsis it had 100 % sensitivity, 100 % specificity, while in
NEC it had a sensitivity of 78.57 % and specificity of 100 %at cut off
point 500 pg / m!. But late in the course of the disease its sensitivity
decreased to 14.3 % in sepsis, and 21.4 % in NEC with 100 % specificity.
We detected that CRP is a good diagnostic tool but late in the
course of the disease. On admission it had a sensitivity of 50 % for sepsis,
71.4 % for NEC, and 100 % specificity for both. But late in the course of
the disease its sensitivity increased to 92.85 % in sepsis, and 85.7 % in
NEC with 100 % specificity.
We concluded that the relationship found between IL-6Ievels, CRP
levels, and the outcome of patients could make IL-6 assay an early
diagnostic and prognostic indicator of newborns with~ sepsisand NEC
than does CRP.