Objective: The aim of the study was to detect the serum level of cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) in children with persistent Otitis media with effusion (OME).
Patients and methods: 50 children with OME divided into 3 groups, a group I consisted of 30 children who had persistent otitis media with effusion and did not improve by medical and surgical treatment. The age range of 5.8 ± 3. 4 years. Group (II) consisted of 20 children who had two or fewer OME episodes per year and improved by medical treatment and did not have a history of tubes insertion. The age range 6.3± 2.9 years. Group III consisted of 52 normal patients with similar age and sex as a control group.
Results: There was no significant difference between group I and group II. There was a significance difference between each group and normal patients.
Conclusion: The result of the present study suggesting that pro-inflammatory cytokine level Il-6 (IL-6) is significantly increased with persistent OME in children in comparison with normal patients.