CSF Interleukins-12, 17 and Interferon-γ Levels in Children with Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a devastating fatal condition caused by mutated measles virus. It predominantly affects children of younger age and invariably leads to mortality. Though reported rarely, the disease continues to cause significant morbidity in children. The authors conducted an observational study in which CSF was withdrawn from 24 cases of confirmed SSPE (Dyken’s criteria) and interleukin levels were estimated by ELISA method. On analysis, IL-12 was significantly elevated in CSF of stage 3 SSPE patients with p value of 0.02. It was elevated in only 2 patients of stage 3 which is the major limitation of this study. No significant difference was seen in IL-17 and interferon–γ levels between different stages of SSPE in serum and CSF. This study highlights the significant elevation of IL-12 cytokine while other studied cytokines (IL-17/ IFN-γ) were not significantly altered in these patients.