Interleukin-6 as a diagnostic marker of neonatal sepsis at the General Hospital of Puyo, 2023
Abstract
Neonatal sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, making early diagnosis essential to improve prognosis. The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels as an early diagnostic marker of sepsis in neonates at the General Hospital of Puyo during 2023. A descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study with a quantitative approach was conducted in a sample of 158 neonates with clinical suspicion of sepsis. The results showed significant variability (p=0.037) in serum IL-6 levels in the group of preterm female neonates (168±47 pg/mL) and in the total of that group (58±132 pg/mL) compared to males of the same age (45±91 pg/mL). A significant association was found between IL-6 and neutrophils, which reached 100% positivity for neonatal sepsis (p<0.0001); C-reactive protein and procalcitonin showed very similar results to IL-6 (10.8%). IL-6 demonstrated high specificity (97.9%) and a sensitivity of 80.0%, which decreased with gestational age. It was concluded that IL-6 is a useful marker for confirming neonatal sepsis, but it should be interpreted alongside other biomarkers and clinical criteria to optimize early detection and minimize false negatives, also considering gestational age for accurate interpretation
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