Abstract:Objective To detect the concentration of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) in tears and serums of type 2 diabetic patients with xerophthalmia. Methods Patients were divided into: Group A (type 2 diabetes mellitus), Group B (type 2 diabetes mellitus with xerophthalmia) and Group C (normal). The concentrations of IL-6 in tear and serum were detected by ELISA. Comparisons between groups were tested by One-Way ANOVA analysis. Results Concentrations of tear IL-6 were (12.90 ± 8.30) pg/ml in group A, (22.43 ± 12.97) pg/ml in group B and (4.69 ± 3.29) pg/ml in group C. The concentrations of IL-6 in group A and group B were significantly higher than that in group C (P < 0.01). The concentration of IL-6 in group B was significantly higher than that in group A (P < 0.01). The level of tear IL-6 had positive correlation with the level of serum IL-6 (r = 0.73, P < 0.01). Conclusions The IL-6 concentration of tear in diabetic patients with xerophthalmia is elevated, which indicates that tear IL-6 and serum IL-6 are related to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus with xerophthalmia. Tear IL-6 level is positively related to serum IL-6 level, which indicates that tear IL-6 is useful in the surveillance of 2 diabetes mellitus with xerophthalmia.