Interleukin‐6 levels can be used to estimate cardiovascular and all‐cause mortality risk in dialysis patients: A meta‐analysis and a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have explored the correlation of interleukin (IL)−6 with mortality risk in dialysis patients, the findings have been conflicting. Hence, this meta‐analysis aimed to comprehensively assess the use of IL‐6 measurement for estimating cardiovascular mortality and all‐cause mortality in dialysis patients. METHODS: The Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and MEDLINE databases were searched to identify relevant studies. After screening out the eligible studies, the data were extracted. RESULTS: Twenty‐eight eligible studies with 8370 dialysis patients were included. Pooled analyses revealed that higher IL‐6 levels were related to increased cardiovascular mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20–1.90) and all‐cause mortality risk (HR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05–1.17) in dialysis patients. Further subgroup analyses suggested that higher IL‐6 levels were associated with elevated cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients (HR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.36–1.81) but not in peritoneal dialysis patients (HR = 1.56, 95% CI: 0.46–2.67). Moreover, sensitivity analyses indicated that the results were robust. Egger's test revealed potential publication bias among studies exploring the correlation of IL‐6 levels with cardiovascular mortality (p = .004) and all‐cause mortality (p < .001); however, publication bias was not observed when using Begg's test (both p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: This meta‐analysis reveals that higher IL‐6 levels could indicate higher risks of cardiovascular mortality and all‐cause mortality in dialysis patients. These findings suggest that monitoring IL‐6 cytokine may help to enhance dialysis management and improve the general prognosis of patients.