Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35790656›Full record

SynthesisNeurosurgical review2022

Interleukin-6 as a prognostic biomarker of clinical outcomes after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review.

Setthasorn Zhi Yang Ooi, Robert James Spencer, Megan Hodgson, Samay Mehta, Nicholas Lloyd Phillips, Gwilym Preest, Susruta Manivannan, Matt P Wise, James Galea, Malik Zaben

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neurosurgical review, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
6.5field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. Interleukin-6 and its association with outcome in traumatic brain injury: a prospective cohort.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Setthasorn Zhi Yang Ooi *Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7097-0948
Robert James Spencer *Brain Research and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit, Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9045-6260
Megan HodgsonCardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK.
Samay MehtaUniversity of Birmingham Medical School, Birmingham, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0861-7016
Nicholas Lloyd PhillipsCardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6281-4702
Gwilym PreestPrincess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5108-8693
Susruta ManivannanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5905-2073
Matt P WiseAdult Critical Care, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2763-4316
James GaleaDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2219-6652
Malik ZabenBrain Research and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit, Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. ZabenM@cardiff.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7446-4532
University Hospital of Wales · GBCardiff University · GBPrincess of Wales Hospital · GBSouthampton General Hospital · GBUniversity of Birmingham · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. There are currently no early biomarkers for prognosis in routine clinical use. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a potential biomarker in the context of the established role of neuroinflammation in TBI recovery. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature was performed to assess and summarise the evidence for IL-6 secretion representing a useful biomarker for clinical outcomes. A multi-database literature search between January 1946 and July 2021 was performed. Studies were included if they reported adult TBI patients with IL-6 concentration in serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or brain parenchyma analysed with respect to functional outcome and/or mortality. A synthesis without meta-analysis is reported. Fifteen studies were included, reporting 699 patients. Most patients were male (71.7%), and the pooled mean age was 40.8 years; 78.1% sustained severe TBI. Eleven studies reported IL-6 levels in serum, six in CSF and one in the parenchyma. Five studies on serum demonstrated higher IL-6 concentrations were associated with poorer outcomes, and five showed no signification association. In CSF studies, one found higher IL-6 levels were associated with poorer outcomes, one found them to predict better outcomes and three found no association. Greater parenchymal IL-6 was associated with better outcomes. Despite some inconsistency in findings, it appears that exaggerated IL-6 secretion predicts poor outcomes after TBI. Future efforts require standardisation of IL-6 measurement practices as well as assessment of the importance of IL-6 concentration dynamics with respect to clinical outcomes, ideally within large prospective studies. Prospero registration number: CRD42021271200.

Indexed as

Brain Injuries, TraumaticInterleukin-6AdultBiomarkersFemaleHumansMalePrognosisProspective StudiesBiomarkersInterleukin-6BiomarkerInterleukin-6Neuro-inflammationPrognosticationTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID35790656
PMCPMC9256073
OpenAlexW4284691380

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.