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Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Apr 30:2022:2755246.
doi: 10.1155/2022/2755246. eCollection 2022.

Associations between Serum Interleukins (IL-1 β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) and Disease Severity of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Yuanmin Chang  1 , Mengru Bai  1 , Qinghai You  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Associations between Serum Interleukins (IL-1 β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) and Disease Severity of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Yuanmin Chang et al. Biomed Res Int. .

Abstract

Background: To investigate the association between interleukins (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) and the disease severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Materials and methods: We systematically searched records investigating the role of interleukins (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) in COVID-19 patients in Web of Science, Pubmed, and Embase through December 2020. Data were extracted and pooled, and the weighted mean difference (WMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. The funnel plot and the nonparametric trim and fill method were used to visualize and adjust the publication bias.

Results: In total, 61 studies enrolled 14,136 subjects (14,041 patients and 95 healthy subjects) were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Our results showed that serum IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 levels were elevated in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls, and IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 levels were increased in severe COVID-19 cases compared to nonsevere patients. Additionally, the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 were elevated in nonsurvivor patients compared to survivors. For patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), IL-6 and IL-8 levels were increased than that in non-ICU patients.

Conclusions: Elevated levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were associated with the disease severity of COVID-19, and elevated levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 were related to the prognosis of COVID-19 patients, which could be used to evaluate COVID-19 patients' disease severity and prognosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared no potential conflicts of interest in this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow chart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
IL-1β levels in COVID-19 patients. A significant difference in IL-1β levels between severe and nonsevere COVID-19 patients was not found (P = 0.33) (a), while IL-1β levels were increased in (b) nonsurvivor patients compared to survivors.
Figure 3
Figure 3
IL-2 levels in COVID-19 patients. The levels of IL-2 were increased in (a) nonsevere and (b) severe COVID-19 patients compared to healthy subjects, while no significant difference in IL-2 levels between (c) severe and nonsevere COVID-19 patients.
Figure 4
Figure 4
IL-4 levels in COVID-19 patients. IL-4 levels were elevated in (a) nonsevere COVID-19 patients compared to healthy subjects, while no significant difference in IL-4 levels between (b) severe patients and healthy controls, as well as between (c) severe and nonsevere COVID-19 patients.
Figure 5
Figure 5
IL-6 levels in COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. No significant difference in serum IL-6 levels between (a) nonsevere COVID-19 patients and healthy controls, while IL-6 levels were elevated in (b) severe patients compared to healthy subjects, and levels of IL-6 were increased in (c) ICU patients compared to non-ICU patients.
Figure 6
Figure 6
IL-6 levels in COVID-19 patients. The serum levels of IL-6 were increased in (a) severe and (b) nonsurvivor patients compared to nonsevere and survivor patients.
Figure 7
Figure 7
IL-8 levels in COVID-19 patients. The levels of IL-8 were increased in (a) ICU, (b) severe, and (c) nonsurvivor COVID-19 patients compared to non-ICU, nonsevere, and survivor patients.
Figure 8
Figure 8
IL-10 levels in COVID-19 patients. The levels of IL-10 were elevated in (a) nonsevere and (b) severe patients compared to healthy controls, while no significant difference between (c) ICU and non-ICU patients, as well as between (e) nonsurvivor and survivor patients. The levels of IL-10 were elevated in (d) severe patients compared to nonsevere patients.
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