IL-6, G-CSF Sign of Risk for Funisitis in Premature Labor

FRIDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Measuring serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) may help identify women with preterm premature rupture of membranes who are at greatest risk of funisitis, researchers report in the Jan. 1 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Amy P. Murtha, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and colleagues collected daily blood samples from 107 women with preterm premature rupture of membranes. Women underwent placental exams to detect funisitis.

Half of the women showed evidence of funisitis after delivery. Women with funisitis were more likely to deliver early than women without funisitis (28.5 weeks versus 31.5 weeks). Women with funisitis had higher levels of serum IL-6 and G-CSF in the 24 to 48 hours before delivery than women without funisitis (IL-6: 7.5 pg/mL with funisitis, 2.8 pg/mL without funisitis; G-CSF: 121.7 pg/mL with funisitis, 56.9 pg/mL without funisitis). These findings held even after researchers controlled for such factors as gestational age and insurance status.

"This investigation is an important step in understanding the role of systemic inflammation in the development of funisitis," the study authors conclude.

Abstract
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