Evaluation of serum level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 in patients with congenital heart disease.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study is to assess the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in patients with congenital heart diseases (CHDs) and control.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, sixty patients with CHD with ages of 1 month to 15 years and thirty healthy subjects were assessed. All objects measured in height, weight, age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Patients diagnosed by echocardiography and patients' blood samples were 3 ml and taken in the catheterization laboratory through catheter and kept for 60 min at a room with normal temperature and separated serum has been held. All samples in compliance with the cold chain carried out to biochemistry laboratory and finally the levels of serum TNF-α and IL-6 were measured by Elisa Kit. Data were analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Nonparametric tests by considering 95% confidence interval were applied.

RESULTS: The mean of age in cyanotic patients was 4.28 ΁ 3.44 years, a cyanotic was 3.12 ΁ 3.87 years and for the control group was 3.30 ΁ 3.61 years. Comparison of TNF-α (Mann-Whitney U-test = 56.62, P < 0.001), IL-6 (Mann-Whitney U-test = 313.5, P < 0.001), right ventricular (RV) pressure (Mann-Whitney U-test = 27, P < 0.001), pulmonary artery (PA) pressure (Mann-Whitney U-test = 618, P = 0.015), and BMI (Mann-Whitney U-test = 214.5, P < 0.001) in the case and control groups resulted in significant differences. To compare TNF-α (Chi-square = 57.82, P < 0.001), IL-6 (Chi-square = 54.70, P < 0.001), RV pressure (Chi-square = 71.35, P < 0.001), PA pressure (Chi-square = 5.92, P = 00.052), oxygen saturation (Chi-square = 74.70, P < 0.001), and BMI (Chi-square = 34.90, P < 0.001) in cyanotic, acyanotic, and control groups resulted that there were significant differences between these three groups except PA pressure.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study showed that in patients with CHD, serum levels of TNF-α increased but IL-6 not changed when compared to control and this increase in necrosis tumoral factor-α would be related with hypoxia and remarkable left to right shunt and caused growth retardation in these patients.