The significance of the changes of serum interleukin 8 levels in the elderly patients with chronic cor pulmonale

Objective To investigate the potential effect of levels of plasma interleukin 8 (IL 8) in chronic cor pulmonale in the elderly. Methods The levels of plasma IL 8 in 80 elderly patients with chronic cor pulmonale and 40 normal elderly were dynamically measured by ELISA. Results The results showed that plasma IL 8 levels in the elderly patients during acute phase (90 39±21 25) ng/L were significantly higher than those in the normal controls (51 80±11 25) ng/L , and in the patients during recovery phase (72 43±27 67) ng/L (all P 0 01). Meanwhile, the more serious the heart failure, the higher the levels of plasma IL 8 in the patients during recovery phase, i.e. the serum IL 8 concentrations in the patients with Ⅳ degree heart failure (120 75±24 31) ng/L those in the patients with Ⅲ degree heart failure (91 92±18 34) ng/L those in the patients withⅡ Cor degree heart failure (71 18±10 94) ng/L those in the normals (all P 0 01). Moreover, there were significantly negative correlations of the levels of plasma IL 8 in the patients during acute phase with PaO 2 and pH in the patients ( r =-0 556 and -0 631,all P 0 01, respectively). The levels of plasma IL 8, however were positively correlated with PaCO 2 in the patients ( r = 0 738, P 0 01). Conclusions The data suggest that IL 8 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the inflammatory process of chronic cor pulmonale in the elderly, and that measuring the levels of plasma IL 8 may be helpful in monitoring the changes of the disease.