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Interleukin-6-174-genotype, sepsis and cerebral injury in very low birth weight infants

Genes & Immunity volume 7, pages 65–68 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

We investigated the association between the interleukin 6 (IL-6)-174-genotype and unfavorable outcomes in preterm infants since it has been reported that the IL-6-174GG-genotype is associated with increased susceptibility to sepsis, and the IL-6-174CC-genotype is more common in preterm infants with severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). We studied 1206 preterm infants with a birth weight below 1500 g. In contrast to previously published data, the frequency of IVH grade IV, periventricular leukomalacia, ventricular-peritoneal-shunting or death was not different between infants with different IL-6-genotypes: IL-6-174GG (n=430) 8%, IL-6-174GC (n=605) 9% and IL-6-174CC (n=167) 12% (P=0.2 for IL-6-174CC vs GG+GC). Furthermore, we were not able to confirm previously reported association between sepsis and the IL-6-174GG-genotype. Blood-culture-proven sepsis occurred in 19% of IL-6-174GG-carriers (n=157), 26% of IL-6-174GC-carriers (n=193) and 27% of infants carrying the IL-6-174CC-genotype (n=67). We were not able to confirm previously reported associations between sepsis, cerebral injury and the IL-6-174-genotype in VLBW-infants.

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Abbreviations

IL-6:

interleukin 6

IVH:

intraventricular hemorrhage

PVL:

periventricular leukomalcia

VLBW:

very low birth weight

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Anja Sewe and Sabine Ziesenitz for excellent laboratory assistance, Birgit Roenspiess and Anne Hoegemann for skillful data collection, all doctors and nurses of the participating hospitals, and especially all infants and their parents for their support. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Grant-no. Go955/1-3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics of the University at Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany

    W Göpel, C Härtel, P Ahrens & E Herting

  2. Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics of the University at Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany

    I König

  3. Kinderklinik auf der Bult, Hannover, Germany

    E Kattner

  4. Olgahospital, Stuttgart, Germany

    E Kuhls

  5. Department of Pediatrics, Greifswald University, Germany

    H Küster

  6. Children's Hospital Saarbrücken, Germany

    J Möller

  7. Children's Hospital, Kassel, Germany

    D Müller

  8. Department of Neonatology, University of Köln, Germany

    B Roth

  9. Kinderklinik St Hedwig, Regensburg, Germany

    H Segerer

  10. Children's Hospital, Aschaffenburg, Germany

    C Wieg

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  1. W Göpel
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  2. C Härtel
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  3. P Ahrens
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  4. I König
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  5. E Kattner
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  6. E Kuhls
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  7. H Küster
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  8. J Möller
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  9. D Müller
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  10. B Roth
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  11. H Segerer
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  12. C Wieg
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  13. E Herting
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to W Göpel.

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Göpel, W., Härtel, C., Ahrens, P. et al. Interleukin-6-174-genotype, sepsis and cerebral injury in very low birth weight infants. Genes Immun 7, 65–68 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6364264

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6364264

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