Role of maternal serum interleukin 17 in preeclampsia: diagnosis and prognosis

BACKGROUND: Immunological factors play a unique role in the setting of preeclampsia; there is a rising debate about the performance of interleukin 17 (IL-17) as inflammatory mediator in its pathogenesis. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the significance of IL-17 in the diagnosis and prognosis of preeclampsia and estimate a cutoff value for better prediction. METHODS: A prospective case control study, 40 patient were enrolled in the study, two groups were designed: a normotensive (control) group (n=20) and preeclampsia group (n=20). Both groups were compared regarding serum IL-17 level to clarify its significance, then ROC curve analysis was done to establish the best cutoff level to predict preeclampsia, with further assessment of its relation to blood pressure to determine its prognostic value. RESULTS: We noted a statistically significant difference in serum IL-17 (pg/mL) level between the preeclampsia and control group (P<0.05). The best cutoff value of serum IL-17 in preeclampsia was (8.2 pg/mL) with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity 80% and accuracy 89%. There was also significant variation in its concentrations before and after control of blood pressure and a significant positive correlation with systolic blood pressure level (r=0.9). CONCLUSION: IL-17 is a significant inflammatory biomarker in preeclampsia with useful prognostic power to predict severity of disease.