Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Introduction: Dengue infection (DV) is a common vector-borne disease which can cause a myriad of features. The pathological basis of dengue fever lies in a complex series of immunological response resulting in a rapid increase in the levels of cytokine and other chemical mediators. Aim: To measure IL-6 levels in serum samples of DV2-infected patients and its correlation with disease severity. Material and methods: A total of 80 cases were included in the study which were divided into group 1 comprising of 40 cases of DF and group 2 comprising of 40 cases of DHF. Serum IL-6 levels were estimated using ELISA kit. Results: Mean age of DF and DHF group patients was 19.4 and 28.9 years, respectively. Gender distribution showed that Group 1 included 40.4% males and 59.6% females, while group 2 had , 52.5% were males and 47.5% females. The most common symptoms apart from fever were headache (95%), followed by chills (82.5%), myalgia (77.5%), nausea (50%), vomiting (42.5%), abdominal pain (40%), arthralgia (27.5%), rash (25%), thrombocytopenia (22.5%), bleeding (10%), and conjunctival congestion (8.7%). mean level of IL-6 expression was 162.43 pg/mL in group 1 and 612.36 pg/mL in group 2. The difference in IL-6 expression within both the study groups was statistically also significant. (P < 0.05) Conclusion: The elevated levels of cytokine in severe dengue make them good predictors of severity of dengue fever. Cytokine estimation at presentation can provide us a clue whether a patient is likely to develop severe manifestations of dengue or not. Key words: Dengue , Flavivirus, interleukin-6, prognosis.