IL1β, IL-6, and TNF-α cytokines cooperate to modulate a complicated medical condition among COVID-19 patients: case-control study.

UNLABELLED

The cytokine storm is a complication related to SARS-CoV-2 infection worldwide. This study aimed to address the level of three cytokines which were interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), with different blood parameters to the formation of cytokine storm or any complication among COVID-19 patients.

METHOD AND MATERIAL

A total of 104 serum samples were included for this purpose, and they were divided into three categories the healthy control group (=30), mild COVID-19 patients (=23), and severe cases of COVID-19 patients (=51). The cytokine concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Serum ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were also evaluated and compared with the concentration of the proinflammatory cytokines.

RESULT

The data analysis showed a significant relationship between the serum IL-6 level with serum ferritin and CRP and the progression to the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The IL-6 level was increased in mild COVID-19 patients and was significantly elevated in severe COVID-19 patients. Patients in the severe group had significantly higher serum ferritin, CRP, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels than those in the mild and healthy groups. The IL-1β and TNF-α were not significantly different in the groups compared with the healthy control group.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that the proinflammatory cytokines and biochemical laboratory tests are promising biomarkers for detecting the severity of COVID-19 cases.