Systemic interleukin profile of elderly patients with cataract combined with senile asthenia syndrome

Abstract

Immune disorders play an important role in development of age-related ophthalmic diseases (e.g., cataracts, age-related macular degeneration), as well as in geriatric conditions and, above all, in senile asthenia syndrome, the leading deficiency syndrome among people at their older age. However, the changes in systemic interleukins in patients with simultaneous presence of two age-associated conditions (cataract and senile asthenia syndrome) were only poorly studied. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the systemic interleukin profile in elderly patients affected by cataracts combined with senile asthenia syndrome of different severity. Patients and methods: The contents of interleukins in blood serum was analyzed in a clinical setting among patients aged 60 to 74 years for all the groups which manifested with isolated cataracts (n = 58), cataracts and senile preasthenia (n = 49), and cataracts and senile asthenia syndrome (n = 56). The diagnosis of senile asthenia syndrome was established in accordance with indexes of the phenotypic model by Fried L. et al., and cataracts, according to results of clinical ophthalmological examination. Determination of IL-1, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17 and IL-18 were performed by enzyme immunoassay followed by calculation of relative risk for each of the above interleukin, as generally accepted. Results: A statistically significant increase of IL-1, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-13 levels, along with decrease in IL-4, IL-10 were shown in the patients presenting with combination of cataract and senile pre-asthenia, as compared with patients with only cataracts. Among the patients with cataracts and senile asthenia syndrome, the disorders were diagnosed for a large number of interleukins, with increased levels of IL-1, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-9, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, IL-18, and decreased concentrations of IL-4, IL-10, in comparison with cases of isolated cataract, or cataract combined with senile preasthenia. Significant values of relative risk were revealed for cataract and senile preasthenia, i.e., for IL-1 (1.27), IL-1β (1.20), IL-4 (1.21), IL-6 (1.19), IL-8 (1.93), IL-10 (2.15) and IL-13 (1.23), and, in cases of cataracts and senile asthenia syndrome, for IL-1 (1.45), IL-1β (1.31), IL-4 (1.38), IL-6 (1.57), IL-8 (2.86), IL-10 (2.39), IL-13 (1.39), IL-17 ( 1.27). The results obtained point to marked changes in the mentioned systemic interleukins among the patients aged 60 to 74 years, and more pronounced association of these changes with cataract combined with senile asthenia syndrome, than with cataract and senile preasthenia.