Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010;24(6):407-12.
doi: 10.1002/jcla.20420.

What are the cut-off levels for IL-6 and CRP in neonatal sepsis?

Istemi Han Celik  1 , Fatma Gamze Demirel, Nurdan Uras, Serife Suna Oguz, Omer Erdeve, Zeynep Biyikli, Ugur Dilmen
Affiliations

What are the cut-off levels for IL-6 and CRP in neonatal sepsis?

Istemi Han Celik et al. J Clin Lab Anal. 2010.

Abstract

Neonatal sepsis, characterized by systemic signs of infection in the first month of life, remains an important clinical syndrome. Despite advances in neonatology, it has high rates of mortality and morbidity. The combine or alone usage of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) has recently been proven to be useful in the early diagnosis of sepsis in newborns. The study included 282 patients; there were 232 in Group I (170 proven and 62 clinical sepsis) and 50 in Group II (control group). The optimum cut-off value in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis was found to be 24.65 pg/ml for IL-6 and 4.82 mg/l for CRP. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of this IL-6 cut-off for neonatal sepsis were 72, 84, 95, and 42%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the CRP cut-off for neonatal sepsis were 67, 97, 99, and 39%, respectively. The combination of IL-6 (>24.65 pg/ml) and CRP (>4.82 mg/l) in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis gave sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 53, 100, 100, and 33%, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the largest reported study seeking to determine cut-off levels for IL-6 and CRP in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. In conclusion, we think that it is useful to evaluate IL-6 and CRP, in combination, for the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Shows ROC of proven and clinical sepsis versus control group; (B) shows proven sepsis versus control group on IL‐6 levels.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Osrin D, Vergnano S, Costello A. Serious bacterial infections in newborn infants in developing countries. Curr Opin Infect Dis 2004;17:217–224. - PubMed
    1. Remington JS, Klein JO. Current concepts of infections of the fetus and newborn infant In: Remington JS, Klein JO, editors. Infectious Diseases of the Fetus and Newborn Infant. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1995.. p 1–19.
    1. Khassawneh M, Hayajneh WA, Kofahi H, Khader Y, Amarin Z, Daoud A. Diagnostic markers for neonatal sepsis: comparing C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6 and immunoglobulin M. Scand J Immunol 2007;65:171–175. - PubMed
    1. Gerdes JS. Diagnosis and management of bacterial infections in the neonate. Pediatr Clin North Am 2004;51:939–959. - PubMed
    1. Kao PC, Shiesh SC, Wu TJ. Serum C‐reactive protein as a marker for wellness assessment. Ann Clin Lab Sci 2006;36:163–169. - PubMed