URINARY IMMUNOREACTIVE INTERLEUKIN-1-ALPHA AND INTERLEUKIN-6 IN BACTERIURIC INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY SUBJECTS

Urinary immunoreactive interleukin-1alpha and interleukin-6 levels wer e measured in specimens obtained from elderly institutionalized subjec ts, including 67 asymptomatic subjects (51 of whom were bacteriuric), 34 with fever from nonurinary sources, 15 with bacteriuria and 9 with symptomatic urinary infection. For bacteriuric subjects urinary interl eukin-1alpha and interleukin-6 levels were measurable in 18 (35%) and 22 (43%) asymptomatic subjects, respectively, 9 (60%) and 8 (53%) with nonurinary sources of fever, respectively, and 6 (67%) and 7 (78%) wi th urinary infection, respectively. For subjects without bacteriuria 1 of 16 (6.3%) who were asymptomatic and 5 (25%) with nonurinary source s of fever had measurable urinary interleukin-1alpha, and 2 (13%) and 1 (5.3%), respectively, had measurable interleukin-6. Presence of inte rleukin-1alpha or interleukin-6 was significantly associated with bact eriuria for asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects. Interleukin-1-alpha or interleukin-6 quantitative levels were lower in subjects without t han with bacteriuria. Quantitative levels of interleukin-6 tended to d ecrease for bacteriuric subjects with symptomatic infection between ac ute and convalescent specimens. These observations suggest that interl eukin-1alpha and interleukin-6 are produced in association with bacter iuria in some elderly subjects. Variation' in local cytokine productio n with time and the clinical significance of these observations requir e further study.