Table 2.

Serum cytokine levels obtained within 24 h of endotracheal intubation in patients <5 years of age with severe pneumonia and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation compared with serum cytokine levels in healthy age-matched controls.

	Study group
Cytokine	Patients with severe pneumonia (n = 45)	Control (n = 35)	Statistical significance
TNF-α, pg/ml	1.57 (0.003–24.27)	1.93 (0.27–44.46)	NS
GM-CSF, pg/ml	115.58 (0.43–409.46)	11.47 (1.82–198.3)	P < 0.001
IL-6, pg/ml	80.84 (15.38–680.62)	2.06 (2.06–36.63)	P < 0.001
IL-8, pg/ml	90.03 (23.04–280.22)	6.62 (1.5–29.62)	P < 0.001
IL-10, pg/ml	13.11 (0.07–386.07)	1.55 (0.07–43)	NS
IFN-γ, pg/ml	24.82 (4.86–635.14)	24.82 (5.53–1477.2)	NS
IL-12, pg/ml	3.41 (0.04–52.39)	0.02 (0.02–1.83)	NS

Data presented as median (min–max).

TNF, tumour necrosis factor; GM-CSF, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor; IL, interleukin; IFN, interferon.

NS, no statistically significant between-group difference (P > 0.05; Mann–Whitney U-test).