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. 2020 Jul 29;21(1):201.
doi: 10.1186/s12931-020-01465-2.

Association between cytokine profiles and lung injury in COVID-19 pneumonia

Li-Da Chen  1 , Zhen-Yu Zhang  2 , Xiao-Jie Wei  3 , Yu-Qing Cai  4 , Weng-Zhen Yao  4 , Ming-Hui Wang  4 , Qiu-Fen Huang  4 , Xiao-Bin Zhang  5
Affiliations

Association between cytokine profiles and lung injury in COVID-19 pneumonia

Li-Da Chen et al. Respir Res. .

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new respiratory and systemic disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between cytokine profiles and lung injury in COVID-19 pneumonia.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in COVID-19 patients. Demographic characteristics, symptoms, signs, underlying diseases, and laboratory data were collected. The patients were divided into COVID-19 with pneumonia and without pneumonia. CT severity score and PaO2/FiO2 ratio were used to assess lung injury.

Results: 106 patients with 12 COVID-19 without pneumonia and 94 COVID-19 with pneumonia were included. Compared with COVID-19 without pneumonia, COVID-19 with pneumonia had significantly higher serum interleukin (IL)-2R, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Correlation analysis showed that CT severity score and PaO2/FiO2 were significantly correlated with age, presence of any coexisting disorder, lymphocyte count, procalcitonin, IL-2R, and IL-6. In multivariate analysis, log IL6 was the only independent explanatory variables for CT severity score (β = 0.397, p < 0.001) and PaO2/FiO2 (β = - 0.434, p = 0.003).

Conclusions: Elevation of circulating cytokines was significantly associated with presence of pneumonia in COVID-19 and the severity of lung injury in COVID-19 pneumonia. Circulating IL-6 independently predicted the severity of lung injury in COVID-19 pneumonia.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019; Cytokine; Lung injury; Pneumonia; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Comparisons of the CT severity score and PaO2/FiO2 between moderate group and severe group (a. CT severity score; b. PaO2/FiO2)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Correlations between cytokines and CT severity score (a. IL-1β; b. IL-2R; c. IL-6; d. IL-8; e. IL-10; f. TNF-α)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Correlations between cytokines and PaO2/FiO2 (a. IL-1β; b. IL-2R; c. IL-6; d. IL-8; e. IL-10; f. TNF-α)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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