Cytokine profiles associated with acute COVID-19 and long COVID-19 syndrome

• Main Author: Queiroz, Maria Alice Freitas
• Publication Date: 2022
• Other Authors: Neves, Pablo Fabiano Moura das, Lima, Sandra Souza, Lopes, Jeferson da Costa, Torres, Maria Karoliny da Silva, Vallinoto, Izaura Maria Vieira Cayres, Bichara, Carlos David Araújo, Santos, Erika Ferreira dos, Brito, Mioni Thieli Figueiredo Magalhães de, Silva, Andréa Luciana Soares da, Leite, Mauro de Meira, Costa, Flávia Póvoa da, Viana, Maria de Nazaré do Socorro de Almeida, Rodrigues, Fabíola Brasil Barbosa, Sarges, Kevin Matheus Lima de, Cantanhede, Marcos Henrique Damasceno, Silva, Rosilene da, Bichara, Cléa Nazaré Carneiro, Berg, Ana Virgínia Soares Van Den, Veríssimo, Adriana de Oliveira Lameira, Carvalho, Mayara da Silva, Henriques, Daniele Freitas, Santos, Carla Pinheiro dos, Nunes, Juliana Abreu Lima, Costa, Iran Barros, Vianna, Giselle Maria Rachid, Carneiro, Francisca Regina Oliveira, Palacios, Vera Regina da Cunha Menezes, Quaresma, Juarez Antônio Simões, Costa, Igor Brasil, Santos, Eduardo José Melo dos, Falcão, Luiz Fábio Magno, Vallinoto, Antonio Carlos Rosário
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositório Digital do Instituto Evandro Chagas (Patuá)
• Download full: http://patua.iec.gov.br/handle/iec/4592
• topic: COVID-19 / diagnóstico; SARS-CoV-2 / patogenicidade; Citocinas / análise; Biomarcadores

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-alpha, and patients without comorbidities had higher levels of TNF-alpha, 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.