ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SERUM INTERLEUKIN-6 LEVELS WITH THE RISK AND CLINICAL SEVERITY OF PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA

Objectives: To clarify the association between serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 with the risk and clinical severity of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: A case–control study was performed in 78 participants (40 POAG cases and 38 controls). The serum level of IL-6 was then quantified by enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A meta-analysis was conducted from available studies investigating serum IL-6 levels in POAG and controls. Results: We found that serum IL-6 level was significantly higher in POAG cases (32.24 ± 14.42 pg/mL) than the controls (14.36 ± 6.89 pg/mL, p < 0.0001), which was also confirmed by pooled analysis (mean difference (MD) 5.977 ng/mL (95% CI = (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.979–10.975; p = 0.019). Our finding also indicated the association between elevated level of serum IL-6 and risk (OR = 48, 95% CI = 12.42–185.49, p = <0.0001) and severity (OR = 4.33, 95% CI = 1.15–16.32, p = 0.030) of POAG.Conclusion: Serum IL-6 level plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis and severity of POAG.