Abstract: Objective To investigate the predictive value of interleukin, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α ) and serum ferritin (SF) in peripheral blood for the severity degree of mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in the elderly. Methods A total of 86 elderly patients with MPP admitted to Jiangsu Province Official Hospital from October 2022 to October 2023 were enrolled in the MPP group, and 100 healthy individuals were enrolled in the control group during the same period of time. The levels of serum interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, SF, white blood cell (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were detected and compared among the control group and the mild and severe MPP groups, and the value in predicting the severity of MPP in the elderly was expored. Results The serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α and SF were significantly higher in the MPP subgroups than those in the control group(P<0.05), especially in the severe MPP group (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in WBC and CRP between the groups.The areas under receiver operating characteristic curve of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α and SF for predicting severe MPP in the elderly were 0.64, 0.80, 0.89, 0.71, and 0.80, respectively. Conclusions Serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α and SF are significantly elevated in the elderly patients with MPP, and can be used as effective biomarkers to predict severe MPP in the elderly.

Key words: mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, aged, inflammatory factors, serum ferritin