Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6 in cerebrospinal fluid from children with prolonged febrile seizures. Comparison with acute encephalitis/encephalopathy.

We investigated the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α (IL-lβ), and IL-6 as proinflammatory cytokines in CSF to facilitate differentiation between acute encephalitis/encephalopathy and prolonged febrile seizures. We studied 20 children with prolonged febrile seizures and 23 with acute encephalitis/encephalopathy, including 8 with an acellular CSF. TNF-α, IL-lβ, and IL-6 in CSF were measured by ELISA. We found that TNF-α, IL-lβ, and IL-6 were undetectable in CSF of all children with prolonged febrile seizures and control subjects but that the concentrations of TNF-α was elevated in 11, of IL-lα in 6, and of IL-6 in 17 of 23 children with acute encephalitis/ encephalopathy. Twenty-two of 23 children with acute encephalitislencephalopathy had elevated concentrations of one or more cytokine. Elevated concentrations of the CSF proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-lβ, and IL-6, indicate acute encephalitis/encephalopathy rather than febrile seizures.

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