PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - MAARET ESKELINEN
AU  - IINA SAIMANEN
AU  - TUOMAS SELANDER
AU  - ANU HOLOPAINEN
AU  - SAMULI ASPINEN
AU  - ESA HÄMÄLÄINEN
AU  - MATTI ESKELINEN
TI  - Interleukin-18 (IL-18) Cytokine Serum Concentrations Correlate With Pain Scores and the Number of Analgesic Doses Following Surgery
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.16057
DP  - 2022 Nov 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 5521--5526
VI  - 42
IP  - 11
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/42/11/5521.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/42/11/5521.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2022 Nov 01; 42
AB  - Background/Aim: Anti- and proinflammatory cytokines and plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are used to assess inflammatory stress response (ISR) following surgery. However, the serum IL-18 (interleukin-18) cytokine values versus numeric rating scale (NRS) pain score and number of analgesic doses (NAD) postoperatively are unknown. Patients and Methods: Blood levels of six interleukins (IL-18, IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β, and IL-8) and hs-CRP were measured at three time points; before operation (PRE), immediately after operation (POP1), and six hours after operation (POP2) in 114 patients with cholelithiasis. Results: Following surgery, the blood levels of hs-CRP and IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-1β cytokines had a trend for increase (p<0.001 and p=0.014, respectively). The serum IL-18 concentrations inversely correlated to NRS and NAD during the first 24 h postoperatively. Conclusion: The correlation of IL-18 levels to NRS and NAD values supports the hypothesis that ISR and pain are related.