Article in Japanese

Evaluation of cytokine markers in pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009

Fumihiro OCHI^1,2), Masatoshi HAYASHI¹⁾

Objective: We studied the changes in cytokine markers and their association with clinical symptoms in patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009.
Methods: Thirty nine patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) admitted to our hospital from October 2009 to February 2010 were enrolled in this study. The patients were examined for at least one of the following cytokine markers: sIL-2R, ferritin, and urine β2MG. They were classified into three groups (respiratory, neurological, and mixed) and tested for these cytokine markers.
Results: The age at the disease onset was lower in the respiratory group than in the neurological group (p< 0.05). The neurological group included eight children (21%), the respiratory group included 23 children (59%), and the mixed group included eight children (21%). In all three groups, sIL-2R and urine β2-MG levels in the early phase of H1N1 were significantly higher than those in the control group having lower respiratory tract infection (p< 0.01). Moreover, sIL-2R levels in the respiratory group were significantly higher than those in the neurological group (p< 0.05). Urine β2-MG levels rapidly decreased in children with H1N1 when their body temperatures returned to normal.
Conclusion: The high levels of sIL-2R and urine β2-MG indicate hypercytokinemia in patients with H1N1, and suggest that anti-cytokine therapies would be a useful treatment strategy for H1N1.

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1) Department of Pediatrics, Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital
2) Department of Pediatrics, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine

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Received	March 29, 2011
Accepted	June 24, 2011

23 (4)：371─377,2012