Correlation between umbilical artery and vein levels of interleukin-6 and soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1.

This study was designed to determine whether umbilical artery levels of both interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) correlate with levels in the umbilical vein. Paired umbilical artery-vein specimens were assayed for IL-6 and sICAM-1. The paired-sign test was used to compare umbilical artery vein levels of IL-6 and sICAM-1. Spearman rank correlation was used to determine relationships between paired umbilical artery-vein levels for a variety of clinical subgroups. For 23 paired samples overall, umbilical artery levels were greater than corresponding vein levels for both IL-6 (P = .039) and sICAM-1 (P = .035). Artery-vein correlations were significant for IL-6 (rho = 0.845, P = .001) and sICAM-1 (rho = 0.806, P = .0002). Correlations were not influenced by prematurity, route of delivery, labor, or neonatal sepsis. In conclusion, umbilical artery levels of IL-6 and sICAM-1 correlate significantly with umbilical vein levels.