Objective   To study the alteration of serum interleukin-6(IL-6)in patients with chronic alcoholism and determine whether there was an association between serum IL-6 and alcoholic brain atrophy.

  Methods   The level of serum IL-6 was detected in 32 patients with chronic alcoholism and 30 healthy control with two antibody sandwich-ELISA.Computed tomography was used to determine the severity of brain atrophy.

  Results   (1) 50% patients with chronic alcoholism presented brain atrophy.(2)Serum IL-6 was significantly higher in the group of patients than in the normal control(286.31±104.79)ng/L vs.(205.43±48.67)ng/L, P < 0.001.Serum IL-6 was significantly higher in the patients with brain atrophy than in those without brain atrophy(343 75 99 59) ng/L vs.(228.88±75.74)ng/L, P < 0.001.The level of serum IL-6 in the patients without brain atrophy was higher than that in the normal control, but the difference was not significant(P < 0.05).(3)A bivariate analysis showed that the level of serum IL-6 was associated with alcoholic brain atrophy: positively associated with the width of 3rd ventricle(r=0.495, P < 0.01)and Huckman value(r=0.557, P < 0.01);and negatively associated with index of brain ventricle(r=-0.665, P < 0.01)and index of body of lateral ventricle(r=-0.639, P < 0.01).

  Conclusion   The patients with chronic alcoholism presented an abnoraml immunological function.The increase level of serum IL-6 may be associated with alcoholic brain atrophy.