Serum cytokines in chronic Chagas' disease

• Main Authors: Ward Laura S., Guariento Maria E., Fernandes Gilberto A., Maciel Rui M.B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 1999
• Subjects: Cardiomyopathy; Clinical form; Severity; Cytokines; Chagas' disease; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/2efeae7d414646758d0efcd07c7b263f

We studied the serum levels of IL-2, IFN-g and TNF in different clinical forms of Chagas' disease and in patients clinically compensated and decompensated. Cytokines measured in 91 patients with the chronic form of the disease did not differ from those of 13 normal individuals, suggesting the absence of activation of the TH1 pattern of lymphocyte response. There were no statistical differences among the 17 patients in the indeterminate form of the disease, the patients presenting either early (n = 4) or well-developed signs of cardiomyopathy (n = 62), the digestive (n = 4) or the mixed (n = 4) forms of the disease. Serum TNF was undetectable and IFN-g levels did not differ between clinical forms and severities of Chagas' disease. However, we found IL-2 higher levels in the 25 non-controlled patients than in the 66 controlled individuals (p < 0,001). We suggest that IL-2 dosage may be useful as an indicator of the need for more aggressive procedures.