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Increased levels of urinary interleukin-6 in Kawasaki disease

  • Immunology/Allergology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Kawasaki disease (KD) often presents with abnormal urinary findings, such as aseptic pyuria, mild proteinuria and microscopic haematuria. In this study, we measured urinary interleukin-6 (IL-6) by a sensitive sandwich ELISA assay using mouse monoclonal antibodies against recombinant IL-6 to elucidate the role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of renal lesions in KD. Serum IL-6 levels were increased in acute KD as well as in febrile controls. Importantly, urinary IL-6 levels were consistently elevated in patients with acute KD, but much lower in febrile controls. Urinary IL-6 levels returned steadily to normal during the convalescent phase. In addition to IL-6, urinary levels ofN-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) and β2-microglobulin (β2-mg) were also elevated during the acute phase of this disease. Eosinophils and macrophages were identifiable in urinary sediments from these patients. The increased levels of urinary IL-6 in combination with increased NAG and β2-mg seemed to suggest the presence of certain renal parenchymal lesions with cellular infiltration during the acute phase of the disease. IL-6 may serve as clinically useful parameter for the detection and monitoring of the renal involvement in KD.

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Abbreviations

β2-mg:

β2-microglobulin

Cr:

creatinine

CRP:

C-reactive protein

IL-6:

Interleukin-6

KD:

Kawasaki disease

NAG:

N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase

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Ohta, K., Seno, A., Shintani, N. et al. Increased levels of urinary interleukin-6 in Kawasaki disease. Eur J Pediatr 152, 647–649 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01955240

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01955240

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