Abstract
Cytokines have a crucial part in the pathogenesis, persistence of infection, and prognosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as HBV does not cause direct liver destruction; rather, disease-related complications and prognosis are more associated with immune system action, specifically cytokines such as TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10, and other cytokines. This study sought to link TNF-, IFN-, IL-6, and IL-10 to various clinical manifestations of HBV infection. Ninety sera were taken from HBV-infected patients, 30 (33.3%) of whom had liver cirrhosis, 30 (33.3%) were HBV carriers, 19 (21.2%) were acute HBV patients, and 11 (12.2%) were recently HBV infected. ELISA was used to determine the serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-10. HBV-infected patients with liver cirrhosis had considerably higher mean serum levels of IFN-γ (P=0.005) and IL-10 (P=0.003), but TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly higher in recent HBV-infected patients (P values 0.034 and 0.004, respectively). There were substantial changes in mean serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-10 at different phases of HBV infection, implying a role for cytokines in HBV etiology, chronicity, and consequences.