Serum Interleukin-6 Concentrations in Patients with Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Virus Infections: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are major causes of chronic liver disease and are associated with complex host immune and inflammatory responses. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in immune regulation and hepatic inflammation. However, differences in circulating IL-6 levels between HBV and HCV infections remain of interest. Objective: This study aimed to compare serum IL-6 concentrations between patients with HBV and HCV infections. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 38 patients with viral hepatitis, including 7 patients with HBV infection and 31 patients with HCV infection. Serum IL-6 concentrations were measured using a commercially available ELISA kit (Melsin Medical Co., China) and expressed in pg/mL. IL-6 levels were compared between the two groups using an appropriate independent-group statistical test. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean serum IL-6 concentration was higher in patients with HBV infection than in those with HCV infection (13.95 ± 8.07 vs. 10.87 ± 4.03 pg/mL, respectively). The mean difference between the HCV and HBV groups was −3.08 pg/mL (95% CI: −9.37 to 3.21). However, the difference was not statistically significant (Welch's t-test, P = 0.297). The standardised effect size was moderate (Cohen's d = −0.59). Conclusion: Patients with HBV infection demonstrated a higher mean serum IL-6 concentration than patients with HCV infection in the studied population; however, this difference was not statistically significant. These findings do not provide sufficient evidence of a differential serum IL-6 response between HBV and HCV infections in this study. Further studies with larger sample sizes and additional clinical, biochemical, and virological parameters are warranted to clarify the inflammatory cytokine profiles associated with HBV and HCV infections.