Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), 28100 Novara, Italy.
Center for Autoimmune and Allergic Disease (CAAD), Università del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), 28100 Novara, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Mar 26;24(7):6257. doi: 10.3390/ijms24076257.
Post-acute conditions after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are quite common, although the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms leading to these conditions are not yet completely understood. In this prospective observational study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that Growth Arrest-Specific 6 (Gas6) and its soluble receptors, Axl (sAxl) and MerTK (sMer), might be implicated. A total of 263 subjects underwent a structured clinical evaluation one year after their hospital discharge for COVID-19, and they consented to donate a blood sample to measure their circulating Gas6, sAxl, and sMer levels. A total of 98 (37.3%) post-COVID-19 subjects complained of at least one residual physical symptom one year after their hospital discharge. Univariate analysis revealed that sAxl was marginally associated with residual symptoms, but at the level of logistic regression analysis, only the diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) (OR 0.98, CI 95%: 0.96-0.99; = 0.007) and the female sex (OR 2.49, CI 95%: 1.45-4.28; = 0.001) were independently associated with long-lasting symptoms. A total of 69 (26.2%) subjects had hair loss. At the level of univariate analysis, Gas6, sAxl, DLCO, and the female gender were associated with its development. In a logistic regression analysis model, Gas6 (OR 0.96, CI 95%: 0.92-0.99; = 0.015) and sAxl (OR 0.98, CI 95%; 0.97-1.0; = 0.014), along with the female sex (OR 6.58, CI 95%: 3.39-12.78; = 0.0001), were independent predictors of hair loss. Decreased levels of Gas6 and sAxl were associated with a history of hair loss following COVID-19. This was resolved spontaneously in most patients, although 23.7% complained of persistent hair loss one year after hospital discharge.
COVID-19 后(post-)的(post-)急性(post-)病症相当常见，尽管导致这些病症的潜在发病机制尚未完全理解。在这项前瞻性观察性研究中，我们旨在检验以下假说：生长停滞特异性蛋白 6 (Gas6)及其可溶性受体 Axl (sAxl)和 MerTK (sMer)可能与之相关。共有 263 名患者在 COVID-19 出院一年后接受了结构化临床评估，并同意捐献血液样本以测量其循环 Gas6、sAxl 和 sMer 水平。共有 98 名(post-)COVID-19 患者(post-)在出院一年后抱怨至少有一种持续的身体症状。单变量分析显示，sAxl 与残留症状略有相关，但在逻辑回归分析水平上，只有一氧化碳弥散量 (DLCO)(OR 0.98，95%CI：0.96-0.99； = 0.007)和女性性别 (OR 2.49，95%CI：1.45-4.28； = 0.001)与长期症状独立相关。共有 69 名(post-)患者(post-)出现脱发。在单变量分析中，Gas6、sAxl、DLCO 和女性性别与脱发有关。在逻辑回归分析模型中，Gas6 (OR 0.96，95%CI：0.92-0.99； = 0.015)和 sAxl (OR 0.98，95%CI：0.97-1.0； = 0.014)，以及女性性别 (OR 6.58，95%CI：3.39-12.78； = 0.0001)，是脱发的独立预测因子。Gas6 和 sAxl 水平下降与 COVID-19 后脱发史有关。尽管 23.7%的患者在出院一年后仍抱怨持续脱发，但大多数患者的脱发会自行缓解。
