Patients with acute phase reactant elevation were divided into two groups according to receiving ibuprofen (Group I, n = 51) or not (Group II, n = 38). Course of sepsis was evaluated by CRP and IL-6 levels.
CRP and IL-6 levels at the time of diagnosis were not different between two groups [16 ¡À 9.1 vs 16.4 ¡À 13.2 mg/dL (p = 0.43) for CRP and 124 ¡À 82 vs 119 ¡À 73 mg/dL (p = 0.517) for IL-6, respectively]. Similarly, they were statistically insignificant between the groups at the 2nd or 3rd days of ibuprofen treatment [14.3 ¡À 7.7 vs 13.7 ¡À 5.9 mg/dL (p = 0.21) for CRP and 83 ¡À 46 vs 86 ¡À 37 mg/dL (p = 0.29) for IL-6, respectively]. However, CRP and IL6 levels showed significant difference between groups in the following days; 6.03 ¡À 3.8 vs 9.1 ¡À 4.9 mg/dL (p = 0.025) for CRP and 42 ¡À 33.1 vs 58.9 ¡À 27.1 mg/dL (0.011) for IL-6 on 4th or 5th days of treatment and 2.3 ¡À 3.2 vs 4.1 ¡À 2.3 mg/dL (p = 0.032) for CRP and 16.1 ¡À 12.4 vs 21.3 ¡À 16.8 mg/dL (p = 0.016) for IL-6, on 7th to 10th days of treatment, respectively.
IL-6 and CRP may decrease in infants receiving ibuprofen treatment more than infants who do not receive it. This decrease should be considered at the time of caring a preterm infant with both sepsis and PDA after ibuprofen treatment.