Serum IL-6 is associated with treatment refractoriness in acute severe ulcerative colitis

Abstract

Abstract Background Response to therapy in acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) is highly variable ranging from steroid response to salvage therapy failure and emergency colectomy. Biomarkers that accurately predict outcomes in ASUC early in the admission may help improve its management. We aimed to ascertain whether peripheral serum cytokine levels on admission correlate with refractoriness to medical therapy. Methods Peripheral blood was collected from 34 subjects, including 29 patients with ASUC on admission (baseline) and 5 healthy controls. All patients with ASUC rec..