Beschreibung:
<jats:p>Interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), a 72 amino acid peptide secreted by cells of the immune system and of the amnion, chorion and decidua, was measured in women in late pregnancy. IL‐8 was detected in the urine of 91 of 104 women with premature rupture of the fetal membranes, with values exceeding 1000 ng/L in cases of severe intra‐amniotic infection. Women with urinary tract infections were excluded. The routine measurement of IL‐8 in urine, together with C‐reactive protein in serum, thus provides a low risk and technically simple approach to the assessment of intra‐amniotic infection.</jats:p>