Study of Serum Interleukin-18 in Metabolic and Pre Metabolic Syndromes

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including insulin resistance, obesity, hypertension, elevated triglycerides, and low levels of HDL cholesterol. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is proinflammatory cytokine with important regulatory function in innate and acquired immune responses and control of energy homeostasis which implicated in the evolution and development of complications of MetS. Aim of the work: To determine serum level of circulating IL-18 as a specific biomarker for distinguishing between MetS patients and pre-MetS subjects Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on 20 patients with MetS and 40 patients with pre-MetS which divided into 20 non obese hypertensive patients and 20 obese diabetic patients. These patients compared with 25 ages and sex matched healthy volunteers. All Patients and control were subjected to full medical history, clinical examination and laboratory investigations in addition to fasting serum insulin and serum IL-18. Results: Mean serum IL-18 was significantly higher in both pre-MetS and MetS in comparison with control group and lower in pre-MetS than MetS group. Insulin resistance was higher in MetS patients and in pre-MetS diabetic patients than controls. There was positive correlation between mean serum IL18 and WC, serum insulin, FBG, insulin resistance and serum TG and negative correlation between mean serum IL18 and serum HDL in MetS patients and in pre-MetS diabetic patients. There was positive correlation between serum IL-18 and S.B.P in pre-MetS hypertensive patients. Conclusion: Serum IL18 significantly increased in both MetS and pre-MetS than control but more in MetS. Circulating serum IL-18 levels could be a useful biomarker for distinguishing patients with MetS from patients with pre-MetS.