INTERLEUKIN-6 AND SELECTED PLASMA-PROTEINS IN HEALTHY-PERSONS OF DIFFERENT AGES

In the present study, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and several acute phase pro teins were measured in healthy participants (23-87 years of age). A li near correlation between IL-6 and age was established with an increase of 0.016 pg/ml (0.004) per year of life. Whereas CRP remained below 0 .5 mg/dl in all participants, an increase with age for fibrinogen and an inverse relation for albumin as well as transferrin were obtained. However, the increase of IL-6 did not correlate with any of these chan ges. IL-6 associated diseases may therefore occur more often with adva ncing age, but in healthy participants IL-6 does not explain the chang ing plasma protein pattern resembling that of an acute phase reaction.