Abstract
The duration and severity of COVID-19 are related to age, comorbidities, and cytokine synthesis. This study evaluated the impact of these factors on patients with clinical presentations of COVID-19 in a Brazilian cohort. A total of 317 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were included; cases were distributed according to clinical status as severe (n=91), moderate (n=56) and mild (n=170). Of these patients, 92 had acute COVID-19 at sample collection, 90 had already recovered from COVID-19 without sequelae, and 135 had sequelae (long COVID syndrome). In the acute COVID-19 group, patients with the severe form had higher IL-6 levels (p=0.0260). In the post-COVID-19 group, there was no significant difference in cytokine levels between groups with different clinical conditions. In the acute COVID-19 group, younger patients had higher levels of TNF-α, and patients without comorbidities had higher levels of TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-2 (p<0.05). In contrast, patients over age 60 with comorbidities had higher levels of IL-6. In the post-COVID-19 group, subjects with long COVID-19 had higher levels of IL-17 and IL-2 (p<0.05), and subjects without sequelae had higher levels of IL-10, IL-6 and IL- 4 (p<0.05). Our results suggest that advanced age, comorbidities and elevated serum IL-6 levels are associated with severe COVID-19 and are good markers to differentiate severe from mild cases. Furthermore, high serum levels of IL-17 and IL-2 and low levels of IL-4 and IL-10 appear to constitute a cytokine profile of long COVID-19, and these markers are potential targets for COVID-19 treatment and prevention strategies.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; cytokines; long COVID-19; risk factor.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Cytokines, Long COVID-19, risk factor., 【초록키워드】 Treatment, Cytokines, severe COVID-19, IL-6, Comorbidities, Comorbidity, cytokine, risk factor, clinical status, COVID, COVID-19 treatment, serum, Cohort, severity of COVID-19, Patient, Mild, target, age, IL-10, group, moderate, patients, cytokine levels, cytokine profile, TNF-α, IL-2, marker, IL-4, prevention strategies, clinical presentation, IL-17, Factor, Clinical presentations, no significant difference, Serum level, subject, younger patients, mild cases, advanced age, syndrome, clinical conditions, acute COVID-19, sample collection, evaluated, elevated, cytokine level, diagnosed with COVID-19, IL-6 level, younger patient, 【제목키워드】 profile, Long,