Dynamics of TNF-α and IFN-γ in adult patients with measles depending on the development of complications

The aim is to define the dynamics of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma serum levels in adult patients with measles depending on the development of complications. Materials and methods. An examination of 175 adult patients with measles revealed a range of complications and dynamics of serum TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma depending on the development of complications. The serum contents of TNF-alpha (Invitrogen, Austria) and IFN-gamma (Invitrogen, Austria) in patients and 30 healthy individuals were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on the basis of the Training Medical Laboratory Center of Zaporizhzhia State Medical University. Results. It was shown that the vast majority of hospitalized adult patients with measles developed complications (70.6 %) and these latter were predominantly respiratory (61.7 %) and gastrointestinal (44.0 %). In the period of measles rash, on day 4.8 +/- 0.2 in the presence of complications, the serum TNF-alpha content was 11 times higher than that in healthy individuals (P < 0.05) and in patients with uncomplicated measles (P < 0.05), and did not differ from healthy individuals (P > 0.05) in the absence of complications. The development of measles complications in adult patients was associated with higher serum levels of TNF-alpha both at hospitalization (P = 0.003) and after 10 days of the disease (P = 0.005). The serum content of IFN-gamma in adult measles patients with rash at hospitalization on day 4.8 +/- 0.2 exceeded that in healthy individuals both in the presence of complications (P < 0.05) and in uncomplicated measles (P < 0.05). The serum content of IFN-gamma was 19.3 times (P < 0.05) higher in patients with complicated measles than that in patients without complications. High serum levels of IFN-gamma were associated with the development of complications during acute period of measles (P = 0.0001). Conclusions. Complications occurred in most hospitalized adult patients with measles (70.6 %), that was accompanied by more pronounced immunological changes. The development of measles complications in adult patients was associated with higher serum levels of TNF-alpha both at hospital admission on day 4.8 +/- 0.2 (gamma 0.77; P = 0.003) and in the dynamics after 10 days of the disease (gamma 0.56; P = 0.005). Elevated serum levels of IFN-gamma were associated with the development of complications during the acute period of measles (gamma ratio 0.46; P = 0.0001).