Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) is a major inflammatory complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Such transplantations are lifesaving in treating certain conditions, such as acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, aplastic anemia, and thalassemia. However, the subsequent presentation of GVHD can pose a lethal threat, placing the patient’s life at risk, once again. The inflammatory response of the graft’s adaptive immunity towards the host’s native cells in GVHD is said to trigger a cytokine storm. Despite its widespread use both colloquially and in the medical field, criteria for “cytokine storms” do not exist. For this reason, a meta-analysis is being conducted that examines various cytokine levels of several different disease conditions, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, Crohn’s disease, SARS CoV-2, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, and graft versus host disease. The purpose of this study is to analyze a subset of data within this larger meta-analysis, specifically interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in GVHD. Herein, I discuss the role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of GVHD, examine the levels of IL-6 in varying stages of GVHD, and propose future directions for using IL-6 inhibition as a treatment for GVHD.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/43843 |
| Date | 09 February 2022 |
| Creators | Garrett, Margrett V. |
| Contributors | Moussavi, Mina, Remick, Daniel |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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