Peyman Alireza, Namgar Mohammad, Feizi Awat, Hakemi Mazdak Ganjalikhani, Nasab Fahimeh Hosseini, Pourazizi Mohsen
Isfahan Eye Research Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
J Res Med Sci. 2021 Sep 30;26:75. doi: 10.4103/jrms.jrms_35_21. eCollection 2021.
It is hypothesized that increased inflammatory markers in keratoconus (KC) may be one of the causes of corneal damage. The aim of our study was to the measurement of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL)-6 in tear of patients with KC and investigate their relationship with the severity of KC.
The current study was performed on KC patients and healthy controls with a case-control setting. Tear levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were measured after collecting the tears from the tear lake using a filter paper via Schirmer I method without anesthesia.
Eighty-one KC patients (mean age 29.45 ± 5.06 years) and 85 controls (mean age 28.01 ± 5.14 years) were enrolled. The mean levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were 26.77 ± 8.16, and 34.58 ± 9.82 pg/ml in the healthy group and 103.22 ± 51.94, and 183.76 ± 54.61 pg/ml in the KC group, respectively ( < 0.001). There was a significant relationship between the severity of the KC and the mean levels of IL-6 TNF-α in the case group ( < 0.001).
Our results indicated that the mean levels of IL-6 and TNF-α are significantly higher in KC than the healthy group, and the disease severity was significantly associated with TNF-α and IL-6.
据推测，圆锥角膜（KC）中炎症标志物的增加可能是角膜损伤的原因之一。我们研究的目的是测量KC患者泪液中的肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）和白细胞介素-6（IL）-6，并研究它们与KC严重程度的关系。
本研究采用病例对照研究方法，对KC患者和健康对照者进行研究。在不麻醉的情况下，通过Schirmer I法用滤纸从泪湖收集眼泪后，测量TNF-α和IL-6的泪液水平。
纳入81例KC患者（平均年龄29.45±5.06岁）和85例对照者（平均年龄28.01±5.14岁）。健康组IL-6和TNF-α的平均水平分别为26.77±8.16和34.58±9.82 pg/ml，KC组分别为103.22±51.94和183.76±54.61 pg/ml（<0.001）。病例组中，KC的严重程度与IL-6、TNF-α的平均水平之间存在显著关系（<0.001）。
我们的结果表明，KC患者IL-6和TNF-α的平均水平显著高于健康组，且疾病严重程度与TNF-α和IL-6显著相关。
