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. 2020 Aug 17;222(6):894-898.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa349.

Elevated Expression of Serum Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecules in COVID-19 Patients

Ming Tong  1 , Yu Jiang  2 , Da Xia  3 , Ying Xiong  3 , Qing Zheng  4 , Fang Chen  2 , Lianhong Zou  2 , Wen Xiao  2 , Yimin Zhu  2
Affiliations

Elevated Expression of Serum Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecules in COVID-19 Patients

Ming Tong et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

In a retrospective study of 39 COVID-19 patients and 32 control participants in China, we collected clinical data and examined the expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Serum levels of fractalkine, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) were elevated in patients with mild disease, dramatically elevated in severe cases, and decreased in the convalescence phase. We conclude the increased expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules is related to COVID-19 disease severity and may contribute to coagulation dysfunction.

Keywords: COVID-19; D-dimer; coagulopathy; endothelial cell adhesion molecules; fractalkine.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules in COVID-19 patients and uninfected participants, the horizontal lines represent median with interquartile range: (A) fractalkine; (B) vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1); (C) intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1); and (D) vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1). * P < .05; ** P < .01.
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