Sykes, Dominic L;
van der Feltz-Cornelis, Christina M;
Holdsworth, Luke;
Hart, Simon P;
O'Halloran, Joseph;
Holding, Steve;
Crooks, Michael G;
(2023)
Examining the relationship between inflammatory biomarkers during COVID-19 hospitalization and subsequent long-COVID symptoms: A longitudinal and retrospective study.
Immunity, Inflammation and Disease
, 11
(10)
, Article e1052. 10.1002/iid3.1052.
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Abstract
Introduction: Long-COVID is a heterogeneous condition with a litany of physical and neuropsychiatric presentations and its pathophysiology remains unclear. Little is known about the association between inflammatory biomarkers, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the acute phase, and persistent symptoms after hospitalization in COVID-19 patients. Methods: IL-6, CRP, troponin-T, and ferritin were analyzed at admission for all patients with COVID-19 between September 1, 2020 to January 10, 2021. Survivors were followed up 3-months following hospital discharge and were asked to report persistent symptoms they experienced. Admission data were retrospectively collected. Independent t-tests and Mann–Whitney U tests were performed. Results: In a sample of 144 patients (62.5% male, mean Age 62 years [SD = 13.6]) followed up 3 months after hospital discharge, the commonest symptoms reported were fatigue (54.2%), breathlessness (52.8%), and sleep disturbance (37.5%). In this sample, admission levels of IL-6, CRP and ferritin were elevated. However, those reporting myalgia, low mood, and anxiety at follow-up had lower admission levels of IL-6 (34.9 vs. 52.0 pg/mL, p =.043), CRP (83 vs. 105 mg/L, p =.048), and ferritin (357 vs. 568 ug/L, p =.01) respectively, compared with those who did not report these symptoms. Multivariate regression analysis showed that these associations were confounded by gender, as female patients had significantly lower levels of IL-6 and ferritin on admission (29.5 vs. 56.1, p =.03 and 421.5 vs. 589, p =.001, respectively) and were more likely to report myalgia, low mood and anxiety, when compared to males. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that female patients present more often with lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers on admission which are subsequently associated with long-term post-COVID symptoms, such as myalgia and anxiety, in those discharged from hospital with severe COVID-19. Further research is needed into the role of serum biomarkers in post-COVID prognostication.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Examining the relationship between inflammatory biomarkers during COVID-19 hospitalization and subsequent long-COVID symptoms: A longitudinal and retrospective study |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1002/iid3.1052 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/iid3.1052 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Immunology, biomarkers, COVID-19, interleukin-6, long-COVID, CONNEXIN-43, MEMBRANE |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Health Informatics |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10193420 |
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