Serum and urine levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 in children with acute pyelonephritis

Abstract Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common clinical disorder in younger infants and children and may result in permanent renal damage. The inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 play an important role in response to bacterial infection. This prospective study investigated the association between serum and urine IL-6 and IL-8 levels and acute pyelonephritis confirmed by 99m Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan. A total of 78 children aged 1–121 months with a diagnosis of first-time febrile UTI were included. The following inflammatory markers were assessed: fever; white blood cells count (WBC); C-reactive protein (CRP); and serum and urine IL-6 and IL-8. The patients were divided into the acute pyelonephritis group ( n  = 42) and the lower UTI group ( n  = 36) according to the results of DMSA scan. Fever, WBC and CRP levels were significantly higher in children with acute pyelonephritis than in those with lower UTI (all p p