Increased interleukin-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in pediatric epilepsy patients with frequent, refractory generalized motor seizures

PURPOSE Recently, it was found that chronic inflammation contributes to the pathomechanism of diverse chronic diseases in various organs. There is accumulating evidence that inflammatory processes affect the pathophysiology of epilepsy. We investigated inflammatory markers to determine the chronic inflammatory process underlying the pathophysiology of intractable epilepsy presenting with frequent motor seizures in children. METHOD In total, 29 patients with epilepsy and 15 children as control subjects were enrolled. Patients were divided into the DS (daily generalized motor seizures) and the IS (intermittent seizures) groups. Blood levels of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), plasma pentraxin 3 (PTX3), serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-β1 were evaluated in all participants. RESULTS Hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in the DS group (0.149 ± 0.161 mg/dL) than in either the IS or control group (0.0156 ± 0.0136 and 0.0253 ± 0.0288 mg/dL, p<0.005 and p<0.05, respectively), while there was no significant difference between the IS and control groups. The IL-6 level was also significantly higher in the DS group (8.022 ± 0.161 pg/mL) than in either the IS or the control group (7.783 ± 0.0563 and 7.864 ± 0.072 pg/mL; p<0.005 and p<0.05, respectively). There were no significant differences in PTX3, TNF-α, or IL-1β levels. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that daily generalized motor seizures result in elevated IL-6 levels, leading to increased CRP. A systemic inflammatory response in intractable patients with frequent generalized motor seizures may affect their prognosis. We may need therapeutic strategies, including methods to control the inflammatory process, to treat intractable epilepsy.