Serum levels of interleukin-18 (IL-18), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), its soluble receptor sIL-1RII and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with Lyme arthritis

Background: In recent years, the role of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in the development of Lyme arthritis (LA) has been widely discussed. The purpose of the present study was to determine the concentration of interleukin-18 (IL-18), interleukin-1 beta (IL-beta) and its soluble receptor sIL-1RII in serum of patients with LA as well as the usefulness of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) determination in LA diagnosis and monitoring of its treatment. Patients and Methods: The study group consisted of 20 patients with LA. Before and after antibiotic treatment, the serum Levels of IL-18, IL-1 beta and sIL-1RII were measured immunoenzymatically using standard kits and the CRP Level was measured by immunoturbidimetric method. Results: Before treatment, the serum levels of IL-18, IL-1 beta and sIL-1RII were significantly higher than in control group and after treatment the concentrations of IL-18, IL-1 beta and sIL-1RII decreased significantly, but the Level of IL-18 and sIL-1RII still remained higher than in control group. The elevated serum Level of CRP was detected only in 6 of 20 patients and in 5 of them it returned to the baseline after treatment. Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that IL-18, IL-1 beta and sIL-1RII might be involved in the development of LA. CRP may be useful in differential diagnosis in patients with suspicion of Lyme arthritis.