Abstract
Objectives: Critical illness in COVID-19 is attributed to an exaggerated host immune response. Since neutrophils are the major component of innate immunity, we hypothesize that the quantum of activated neutrophils in the blood may predict an adverse outcome.
Design: In a retrospective study of 300 adult patients with confirmed COVID-19, we analyzed the impact of neutrophil activation (NEUT-RI), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and the established clinical risk factors of age, diabetes, obesity and hypertension on the clinical outcome.
Results: Significant predictors of the need for mechanical ventilation were NEUT-RI (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.22, P < 0.001), diabetes (OR = 2.56, P = 0.00846) and obesity (OR = 6.55, P < 0.001). For death, the significant predictors were NEUT-RI (OR = 1.14, P = 0.00432), diabetes (OR = 4.11, P = 0.00185) and age (OR = 1.04, P = 0.00896). The optimal cut-off value for NEUT-RI to predict mechanical ventilation and death was 52 fluorescence intensity units (sensitivity 44%, specificity 88%, area under the curve 0.67 and 44%, 86%, 0.64, respectively).
Conclusion: This finding supports an aberrant neutrophil response in COVID-19, likely due to uncontained viral replication, tissue hypoxia and exacerbated inflammation, introduces a novel biomarker for rapid monitoring and opens new avenues for therapeutic strategies.
Keywords: Aberrant neutrophil response; Activated neutrophils; Biomarker; COVID-19; Critical illness; Innate immunity.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Critical illness, Biomarker, Innate immunity, Aberrant neutrophil response, Activated neutrophils, 【초록키워드】 Neutrophils, Inflammation, Critical illness, Biomarker, Immunity, mechanical ventilation, hypoxia, Innate immunity, IL-6, obesity, neutrophil, interleukin-6, diabetes, hypertension, Clinical outcome, adverse outcome, Retrospective study, sensitivity, specificity, interleukin, Viral, Host immune response, viral replication, Patient, Therapeutic strategies, death, age, predictor, predict, Blood, Activated neutrophils, Innate, neutrophil activation, opens, Support, tissue, cut-off value, neutrophil response, quantum, fluorescence intensity, analyzed, exacerbated, Significant, diabete, Ratio, activated neutrophil, clinical risk factor, 【제목키워드】 death, independent, activated neutrophil,