Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with influenza-associated encephalopathy

• Published in: Journal of infection and chemotherapy : official journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 80 - 84
• Main Authors: Morichi, Shinichiro, Morishita, Natsumi, Takeshita, Mika, Ishida, Yu, Oana, Shingo, Yamanaka, Gaku, Kashiwagi, Yasuyo, Kawashima, Hisashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2017
• Subjects: Biomarkers - cerebrospinal fluid; Case-Control Studies; Child, Preschool; Encephalitis, Viral - cerebrospinal fluid; Encephalitis, Viral - complications; Female; Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine; Humans; Infant; Influenza, Human - cerebrospinal fluid; Influenza, Human - complications; Influenza-associated encephalopathy; Interleukin-6 - cerebrospinal fluid; Male; Meningitis, Bacterial - cerebrospinal fluid; Platelet derived growth factor; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor - cerebrospinal fluid; Severity of Illness Index; Statistics, Nonparametric; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - cerebrospinal fluid; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Platelet derived growth factor; Influenza-associated encephalopathy
• ISSN: 1341-321X; 1437-7780; 1437-7780
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jiac.2016.10.007

To search for an index of neurologic prognosis of children with influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE), involvement of angiogenesis-related growth factors in the pathology was investigated. The subjects were 11 IAE patients, 6 patients with bacterial meningitis (BM), and 24 patients with non-central nervous system infection as a control group admitted to our hospital. The correlation between the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) levels in cerebrospinal fluid and the relationship with an index of inflammatory marker, interleukin (IL)-6, were investigated. Using the Pediatric Cerebral Performance Categories (PCPC) score as a prognostic indicator, we evaluated the association between the biomarkers and neurologic prognosis. PDGF significantly increased in the IAE group compared with that in the BM group. Cerebrospinal fluid VEGF and PDGF increased in all IAE and BM patients compared with that in the control group, and VEGF and PDGF were positively correlated in the 2 groups. No correlation was found between the cerebrospinal fluid VEGF and PDGF levels and IL-6 level in the IAE group, whereas a correlation was found in the BM group. All these factors increased in patients with poor neurologic prognosis. It is possible that the disease state of IAE can be evaluated based on vascular endothelial disorder-related markers.