ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical significance of 5 kinds of inflammatory factors (MCP1, IL1β, IL18, HMGB1, and IL10) in severe EV71 handfootandmouth disease (HFMD).MethodsHospitalized children who were diagnosed with severe EV71 HFMD in a hospital in MarchAugust, 2014 were as HFMD group, healthy children who underwent physical examination in outpatient department of the same hospital during the same period were as control group, changes in expression levels of peripheral blood MCP1, IL1β, IL18, HMGB1, and IL10 of both groups were dynamically observed, clinical data of HFMD group were collected.ResultsThere were 102 children in HFMD group, the average age was (2.18±0.91) years old, 80.39% of whom were ≤3 years old; there were 77, 16, and 9 cases in HFMD group at stage 2, 3, and 4 respectively at admission. 77, 52, 21, and 88 cases went through stage 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. Expression levels of 5 kinds of inflammatory factors at stage 2, 3, and 4 in HFMD group were compared respectively with control group, differences were all statistically significant(all P<0.05); expression levels of IL10 at stage 3 and 4 in HFMD group were not significantly different (P>0.05). In HFMD group,the expression levels of HMGB1 of stage 2, 3 progression groups were both higher than recovery group(both P<0.05). The expression levels of 5 kinds of inflammatory factors in the death group and survival group at admission were all significantly different (all P<0.05).ConclusionThe expression levels of MCP1, HMGB1, IL1β, IL10, and IL18 are closely related to the severity of HFMD, and has certain clinical significance for the prognosis of children. HMBG1 has certain predictive value in the prognosis of HFMD.