Serum Levels of Interleukin-1α, Interleukin-1β, Interleukin-6, and Tumor Necrosis Factor in Patients with Acute Viral Hepatitis

Serum levels of interleukin-1α (IL-1α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in patients with acute viral hepatitis were investigated. Twelve patients suffering from acute viral hepatitis were studied; 8 patients presented with acute hepatitis B, 2 patients with acute hepatitis A, and 2 patients with acute hepatitis C. Serum levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were significantly increased in all patients with acute viral hepatitis. Decreased serum levels of all cytokines were noted in four patients with acute hepatitis B during the recovery phase of infection. In addition, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were undetectable at the end of a follow-up period of 6 months. Our study shows that increased levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α are probably related to hepatitis activity and thus may have some role in hepatocytic injury.