Table 1.
Associations between cytokine levels and neonatal encephalopathy.
| Cytokine | NE (n = 159), median (IQR) | Non-NE (n = 157), median (IQR) | p valuea | Adjusted geometric mean ratio (95% CI)b | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNFα | 5.24 (2.49–10.0) | 7.76 (4.15–15.0) | 0.001 | 0.81 (0.64, 1.04) | 0.093 |
| IL-8 | 260 (46.9–1138) | 285 (30.0–1179) | 0.910 | 0.97 (0.48, 1.95) | 0.931 |
| VEGF | 91.6 (16.6–201) | 203 (82.1–367) | <0.001 | 0.33 (0.22, 0.49) | <0.001 |
| IL-1α | 2.33 (0.05–5.49) | 3.22 (0.05–7.90) | 0.204 | 0.79 (0.57, 1.08) | 0.142 |
| IL-6 | 24.6 (8.43–81.1) | 18.5 (7.19–52.1) | 0.096 | 1.69 (1.10, 2.58) | 0.017 |
| IL-10 | 6.72 (0.58–24.5) | 0.97 (0–3.17) | <0.001 | 2.93 (2.07, 4.15) | <0.001 |
Data shown are median serum cytokine levels in pg/ml (interquartile range).
Bold values indicate statistical significance p < 0.05.
NE neonatal encephalopathy, TNFα tumor necrosis factor alpha, IL interleukin, VEGF vascular endothelial growth factor.
aMann–Whitney U test.
bLinear regression analysis with geometric mean difference in cytokine levels (pg/ml) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) between NE and non-NE infants, adjusted for neonatal sex and time of cytokine blood sample.