ArticlePediatric research2023
Cut-off values of serum interleukin-6 for culture-confirmed sepsis in neonates.
Article in Pediatric research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic accuracy of interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a significant biomarker in late-onset neonatal sepsis: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Management of neonates at risk of early onset sepsis: a probability-based approach and recent literature appraisal : Update of the Swiss national guideline of the Swiss Society of Neonatology and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Group Switzerland.European journal of pediatrics · 2024Guideline
- Machine learning-based tool to assess risk of hemodynamically significant PDA in extremely premature infants.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Comparing early-onset sepsis risk: risk calculator, American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, and local care.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Serum Biomarkers in Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Infants: A Narrative Review.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- High CRP and white blood cell counts are not reliable indicators of early-onset neonatal infection in full-term infants.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Utility of interleukin-6 to identify serious bacterial infections in febrile infants aged ≤60 days.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2025Article
- Stop in Time: How to Reduce Unnecessary Antibiotics in Newborns with Late-Onset Sepsis in Neonatal Intensive Care.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2024Review
- The potential role of heparin-binding protein in neonatal sepsis: research progress.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Review
- Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-of-Care Testing of C-Reactive Protein, Interleukin-6, and Procalcitonin in Neonates with Clinically Suspected Sepsis: A Prospective Observational Study.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2024Observational
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionNeonatal sepsis accounts for 0.97% of all disability-adjusted life years worldwide. Interleukin-6 has been used in sepsis diagnosis, but cut-off values are missing.
methodsNeonates admitted to the neonatal wards with measurements of serum interleukin-6 born between September 2015 and September 2019 were retrospectively analysed. Mean serum interleukin-6 values of patients who never had increased laboratory parameters of infection nor died during their stay and mean interleukin-6 values on the day of blood sampling for a later positive culture in patients with culture-confirmed sepsis were analysed for each time period.
resultsIn all, 8.488 values in 1.695 neonates, including 752 very-preterm-infants and 701 very-low-birthweight infants, were analysed. The AUC for interleukin-6 was 0.84-0.91 in all neonates, 0.88-0.89 in very-preterm and 0.89-0.91 in very-low-birthweight infants. Using interleukin-6 cut-off values of 80 pg/ml on day of life 1, 40 pg/ml on day of life 2-7 and 30 pg/ml after day of life 7, a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 81% for culture-confirmed sepsis were achieved. In very-preterm infants, the corresponding values were 74% for sensitivity and 83% for specificity and in very-low-birthweight infants 74% and 86%, respectively.
conclusionSerum interleukin-6 has high accuracy for the detection of neonatal sepsis. IMPACT: Serum interleukin-6 can be used with high accuracy to detect sepsis in neonates with the cut-off values of 80 pg/ml on day of life 1, 40 pg/ml on day of life 2-7 and 30 pg/ml after day of life 7. Serum interleukin-6 can be used with high accuracy to detect sepsis in neonates and very-preterm as well as very-low-birthweight infants. Interleukin-6 values display distinct cut-off values depending on the chronological age of the infant. Our article provides the first cut-off values for interleukin-6 in the first days of life in neonates.
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