Annals of vascular surgery
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In a number of relatively small-size studies, investigators have measured and compared circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in cases with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and controls without AAA to assess its possible role in the pathogenesis or progression of AAA. To summarize the present evidence for an association between circulating IL-6 levels and AAA presence, we performed a meta-analysis of case-control studies that compared circulating IL-6 levels between patients with AAA and subjects without AAA. ⋯ Circulating IL-6 levels are greater in patients with AAA than those in subjects without AAA, which suggest that greater circulating IL-6 levels are associated with AAA presence. As the mean AAA diameter and the proportion of men increase, circulating IL-6 levels in patients with AAA are respectively more and less greater than those in controls without AAA.