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 卤 9.1 vs 16.4 卤 13.2 mg/dL (p = 0.43) for CRP and 124 卤 82 vs 119 卤 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 卤 7.7 vs 13.7 卤 5.9 mg/dL (p = 0.21) for CRP and 83 卤 46 vs 86 卤 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 卤 3.8 vs 9.1 卤 4.9 mg/dL (p = 0.025) for CRP and 42 卤 33.1 vs 58.9 卤 27.1 mg/dL (0.011) for IL-6 on 4th or 5th days of treatment and 2.3 卤 3.2 vs 4.1 卤 2.3 mg/dL (p = 0.032) for CRP and 16.1 卤 12.4 vs 21.3 卤 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.