Serum Profiles of C-Reactive Protein, Interleukin-8, and Tumor Necrosis Factor- in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

Background-Aims . Early prediction of the severity of acute pancreatitis would lead to prompt intensive treatment resulting in improvement of the outcome. The present study investigated the use of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α ) as prognosticators of the severity of the disease. Methods . Twenty-six patients with acute pancreatitis were studied. Patients with APACHE II score of 9 or more formed the severe group, while the mild group consisted of patients with APACHE II score of less than 9. Serum samples for measurement of CRP, IL-8 and TNF- α were collected on the day of admission and additionally on the 2nd, 3rd and 7th days. Results . Significantly higher levels of IL-8 were found in patients with severe acute pancreatitis compared to those with mild disease especially at the 2nd and 3rd days ( P = .001 and P = .014, resp.). No significant difference for CRP and TNF- α was observed between the two groups. The optimal cut-offs for IL-8 in order to discriminate severe from mild disease at the 2nd and 3rd days were 25.4 pg/mL and 14.5 pg/mL, respectively. Conclusions . IL-8 in early phase of acute pancreatitis is superior marker compared to CRP and TNF- α for distinguishing patients with severe disease.