The Levels of Some Interleukins and Serum Copper Levels in Patients with Head Injury

Abstract

Background and Objective: Head injury is caused by server physical force to the head, and it can be open or closed. In a closed trauma, the skull is not broken, but the impact may damage the brain, skull, scalp and underlying tissue and blood vessels of the head. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find the relationship between head injury and several parameters including the serum level of interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and copper (Cu) in these patients. Methods: This study was conducted at the Neurosurgical Teaching Hospital in Baghdad/Iraq and comprised 60 patients with head injuries in the age range of 20-80 years, who were matched to 30 healthy controls. Five mL blood samples were taken around 8 hours after the injury. Serum IL-6 and IL-8 were measured by the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), whereas Cu was measured by the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results were compared withween the two groups. Findings: The results revealed that there were no significant differences in age (p=0.169), gender (p=0.434) and BMI (p=0.102) between head injury patients and healthy subjects. The results revealed a significant increase in serum IL-6 (177.45±55.12 & 83.43±22.98) and IL-8 (181.19±61.77 & 49.99±15.32) levels in patients as compared to healthy subjects (p<0.001), and a significant decline in Cu levels in patients (0.84±0.16) compared to the healthy group (1.34±0.15) (p<0.001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, increased levels of interleukins and copper element can be used as markers related to head injury.