Elsevier

Clinical Immunology

Volume 221, December 2020, 108614
Clinical Immunology

Full Length Article
Laboratory biomarkers associated with COVID-19 severity and management

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2020.108614Get rights and content

Abstract

The heterogeneous disease course of COVID-19 is unpredictable, ranging from mild self-limiting symptoms to cytokine storms, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multi-organ failure and death. Identification of high-risk cases will enable appropriate intervention and escalation. This study investigates the routine laboratory tests and cytokines implicated in COVID-19 for their potential application as biomarkers of disease severity, respiratory failure and need of higher-level care.

From analysis of 203 samples, CRP, IL-6, IL-10 and LDH were most strongly correlated with the WHO ordinal scale of illness severity, the fraction of inspired oxygen delivery, radiological evidence of ARDS and level of respiratory support (p ≤ 0.001). IL-6 levels of ≥3.27 pg/ml provide a sensitivity of 0.87 and specificity of 0.64 for a requirement of ventilation, and a CRP of ≥37 mg/l of 0.91 and 0.66.

Reliable stratification of high-risk cases has significant implications on patient triage, resource management and potentially the initiation of novel therapies in severe patients.

Keywords

COVID-19
Cytokines
Biomarkers
Intensive care
IL-6
CRP
IL-10
LDH

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1

Authors contributed equally.

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