Objective This study was designed to evaluate the correlations between soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) and intedeukin-8 (IL-8) levels and the condition and prognosis of severe pneumonia. Methods A total of 67 patients with pneumonia were identified at the intensive care unit and the Respiratory Department of Zibo Central Hospital between April 2007 and March 2008. The patients were divided into two groups according to the severity of pneumonia: severe (Group A, n = 35) and non-severe (Group B, n = 32). Group A was also subdivided into two groups of patiems: patients with Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrorae(MODS) (Group A_1, n = 13) and pa-tients with severe pneumonia alone (Croup A_2, n= 22). Thirty healthy people whose age and sex matched with the patients were enrolled as a control group (Group C). Patients with cancer, who had undergone surgery within the past 1 month, connective tissue disease or acute conplications of diabetes, for example, were excluded from the study. The serum levels of s-Eselectin and IL-8 were measured by EI.ISA, and correlations with Acute physiol-ogy and chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE-Ⅱ)score, Oxygenation index(PaO_2/FiO_2), percentage of poly-morphonuclear leukocyte (PMN)and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)levels were determined. The data were analyzed using t tests, one-way ANOVA, X~2 tests and linear correlation analysis using SAS 8.2 software. Results The sermn levels of sE-selectin and IL-8 in Croup A and Group B were significant higher than Group C (P < 0.05), and the levels in Group A were higher than those in Group B (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the levels of sE-selectin and IL-8 were higher in Group A_1 than in Group A_2(P < 0.001). The correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the levels of sE-selectin and IL-8 in patients with pneumonia (r = 0.781,P < 0.01) ; and both were positively correhted with APACHE-Ⅱ score, PMN% and hs-CRP (P < 0.01), and nega-tively correlated with PaO_2/FiO_2 (P < 0.01).Conclusions sE-selectin and IL-8 levels are important indices for the assessment of the severity of pneumonia in tetras of the condition and prognosis.