ABSTRACT

[Abstract] Objective: To study the expression of serum inflammatory factors and neurotransmitters in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and their correlation with negative emotions.
Methods: A total of 107 children with MPP were included in this study. They were treated in our hospital from January 2023 to January 2025, and were divided into mild group (65 cases) and severe group (42 cases) according to the severity of the disease. At the same time, 50 children who received health examination in our hospital in the same period were selected as the healthy control group. The serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor - α (TNF - α), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The screening form for anxiety disorders in children (scaled) and the depression self rating scale for children (dsrsc) were used to assess the negative emotions of children, and the correlation between inflammatory factors, neurotransmitters and negative emotions was further analyzed.
Results: Compared with the healthy control group, the mild MPP and severe MPP groups had significantly higher serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, NE, and DA and significantly lower serum levels of IL-10 and 5-HT (P<0.05). Compared with the mild MPP group, the severe MPP group had significantly higher serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, NE, and DA and significantly lower levels of IL-10 and 5-HT (P<0.05). The SCARED and DSRSC scores of the mild and severe MPP groups were higher than those of the healthy control group (P<0.05). The severe MPP group had significantly higher SCARED and DSRSC scores than the mild MPP group (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, NE and DA were positively correlated with SCARED and DSRSC scores. The levels of IL-10 and 5-HT were negatively correlated with SCARED and DSRSC scores (P<0.05).
Conclusion  s: Children with MPP have significant hyperinflammation and metabolic disorders of neurotransmitters, which are closely related to negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. Monitoring the levels of serum inflammatory factors and neurotransmitters may be helpful for early identification and intervention of psychological and emotional problems in children with MPP.

Key words: 【 Key words 】 Mycoplasma pneumonia; Inflammatory factors; Neurotransmitters; Anxiety; Depression; Children