TY - JOUR T1 - Interleukin-18 (IL-18) Cytokine Serum Concentrations Correlate With Pain Scores and the Number of Analgesic Doses Following Surgery JF - Anticancer Research JO - Anticancer Res SP - 5521 LP - 5526 DO - 10.21873/anticanres.16057 VL - 42 IS - 11 AU - MAARET ESKELINEN AU - IINA SAIMANEN AU - TUOMAS SELANDER AU - ANU HOLOPAINEN AU - SAMULI ASPINEN AU - ESA HÄMÄLÄINEN AU - MATTI ESKELINEN Y1 - 2022/11/01 UR - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/42/11/5521.abstract N2 - 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. ER -