High serum interleukin-6 concentration upon admission is predictive of disease severity in paediatric trauma patients

Background Trauma is the leading cause of death among children worldwide. The inflammatory response of paediatric patients to multiple injuries can be monitored using serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. This study aimed to assess the value of IL-6 levels in predicting the severity of paediatric trauma and its clinical association with disease activity. Method We prospectively tested serum IL-6 levels and evaluated the Paediatric Trauma Score (PTS) and other clinical data among 106 paediatrics trauma patients from January 2022 to May 2023 at the Emergency Department of the Xi’an Children’s Hospital in China. The relationship between IL-6 and trauma severity levels by PTS was analyzed statistically. Results IL-6 levels were elevated in 76 (71.70%) of the 106 paediatric patients with trauma. Spearman’s test showed a significant negative linear correlation between IL-6 and PTS ( r s = − 0.757, p