Data suggest a unique inflammatory signature associated with severe COVID19
The COVID19 pandemic will cause more than a million of deaths worldwide, primarily due to complications from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Controversy surrounds the current cytokine/chemokine profile of COVID19-associated ARDS, with some groups suggesting that it is similar to non-COVID19 ARDS patients and others observing substantial differences. Balnis et. al. conducted a study of 41 mechanically ventilated patients with COVID19 infection using highly calibrated methods to define the levels of plasma cytokines/chemokines. Plasma IL1RA and IL8 were found positively associated with mortality, while RANTES and EGF negatively associated with that outcome. However, the leukocyte gene expression of these proteins had no significant correlation with mortality. Their data suggest a unique inflammatory signature associated with severe COVID19.
Read the article: Unique inflammatory profile is associated with higher SARS-CoV-2 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) mortality