The Significance of Serum IL-10 Levels in Diagnosing Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infection

Abstract

Background: One of the most immunological affecters that play a major role in th pathogenesis hepatitis B is cytokine secretion and, a member of these anti-inflammatory cytokines with amazing characteristic is interleukin-10 (IL-10). Objective: The main objective of the current study is to investigate IL-10 levels in clients with hepatitis B infections. Methods: A case–control approach was adopted, comprising 62 individuals with laboratory-confirmed hepatitis B infection and 58 apparently healthy participants serving as controls. Serum IL-10 levels were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Group differences were examined through independent samples t-tests, while variations associated with different infection sites were assessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Additionally, the diagnostic performance of IL-10 was assessed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to measure its accuracy in distinguishing infected from non-infected subjects. Results: Patients had significantly elevated IL-10 levels (18.8 ± 32 pg/ml) compared to controls (15.9 ± 3.9 pg/ml, p < 0.04). Analysis of serum IL-10 levels across vaccination status indicated that concentrations were higher in patients non-vaccinated against hepatitis B infections (19.2 ± 3.2 pg/ml), compared with those vaccinated (13.5 ± 2.8 pg/ml). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.78, with an optimal diagnostic threshold determined at 16 pg/ml, yielding a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 73%. These findings reveals that IL-10 levels are markedly elevated in individuals affected by hepatitis B, supporting its potential role as a reliable biomarker.

Keywords:

Interleukin-10, hepatitis B, AUC, Sensitivity, Specificity

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