Prevalence and impact of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 polymorphisms in Egyptian children with immune thrombocytopenic purpura

Abstract

Background Recent findings demonstrate that complex immune system dysregulation plays a role in the etiology of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) Aim Aim The current study aimed to assess the prevalence and impact of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 polymorphisms and levels in Egyptian children with ITP. Patients and methods In this case–control study, 25 Egyptian children with newly diagnosed ITP took apart. Their mean age was 9±2.56. They were treated at Tanta University Hospital’s Hematology Unit, Pediatric Department. Furthermore, 25 healthy age-matched and sex-matched children were included as controls. Both groups were subjected to complete blood count, PCR for IL-6 572G>c=rs1800796 and IL-10 627A>C=rs1800872, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measurement of serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10. Results Eight percent of our patients tested positive for IL-6 (572) polymorphism (G/C), 4% tested positive in controls. Meanwhile 4% of cases tested positive for IL-10 (627) polymorphism (A/C), indicating that there was no statistically significant difference between groups. Patients’ levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were considerably higher (P<0.0001). Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference between the acute and chronic cases, with the former having a higher level. The levels of IL-6 and IL-10 and the platelet count showed a statistically significant strong negative correlation. Conclusion IL-10 polymorphisms are thought to play a part in the pathogenesis of childhood ITP. Moreover, IL-6, seems to predict susceptibility to primary ITP in Egyptian children making both promising biomarkers of clinical progression. However, a sizable prospective study is required to find out how cytokine gene polymorphisms affect childhood ITP.