Assessment of Serum Interleukin-6 as a Reliable Biomarker for Disease Activity in Ulcerative Colitis

Background: A chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease of the colon, ulcerative colitis produces varied degrees of mucosal inflammation that extends from the rectum to the more proximal colon. Genetics, environmental factors, autoimmune, and gut microbiota are the main risk factors for ulcerative colitis. The diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis is made using a combination of histology, endoscopic results, and clinical presentation. In addition to confirming the diagnosis of UC. There is significant evidence that UC patients' blood and inflamed mucosa have higher levels of interleukin-6. Aim:To establish new non-invasive alternatives for monitoring the disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis. Subjects and Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 42 patients with known or newly diagnosed UC who was presented to the out-patient clinic or admit at the Suez Canal University hospital, Ismailia, Egypt. The diagnosis of UC was based on clinical, endoscopic, and histological criteria. Results: our study demonstrated that more than half of patients (52.4%) had moderately active UC, (28.6%) had severely active and about (14.3%) had mild activity when patients assessed clinically by P Mayo score with significant correlation between the circulating IL-6 level and UC activity in the studied patients (P value <0.001), the mean value of IL-6 was double higher in patients with moderate-severe activity compared to those with remission/mild activity (153 vs. 76 pg/ml). Conclusion: Our study concluded that IL-6 can be used as a significant biomarker for both disease activity, severity and extension by colonoscopy in patients with ulcerative colitis.