Elevation of plasma interleukin-6 level is involved in postoperative fever following major oral and maxillofacial surgery

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the changes in plasma cytokine levels including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are involved in postoperative fever following oral and maxillofacial surgery. Study design. Ten patients undergoing elective oral and maxillofacial surgery were studied. We investigated the plasma cytokine levels by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and measured the core temperature and degree of postoperative shivering and peripheral vasoconstriction after surgery. The relationships between the changes in plasma cytokine levels and postoperative fever were statistically evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Results. The elevation of plasma IL-6 level was significantly correlated with the increase in core temperature after surgery and with the degree of postoperative shivering and vasoconstriction, whereas the changes in plasma IL-1β or TNF-α levels were not. Conclusions. Elevation of plasma IL-6 level is probably involved in postoperative fever following oral and maxillofacial surgery.