Hemoperfusion Therapy’s Efficiency in Reducing Serum IL-6 Levels and Disease Severity in COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

Background: Interleukin (IL)-6, one of the inflammatory mediators involved in severe cases of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), has been implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease. Extracorporeal blood purification has been suggested as one of the therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 patients, due to its favorable effect on the removal of inflammatory cytokines. Here, we investigated the impact of hemoperfusion (HP), a type of extracorporeal blood purification, in serum IL-6 levels and disease severity in COVID-19 patients. Methods: 35 patients with severe COVID-19 were enrolled in this study at the Imam-Reza Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, between April 2020 and June 2020. The HA330 disposable HP cartridge was utilized (Jafron Biomedical Company, China). After a hemodialysis catheter was placed, patients underwent HP for at least three days in a row. Results: Our results indicated that COVID-19 patients’ serum levels of IL-6 significantly diminished following HP (P value≤0.001). Furthermore, a decrease in IL-6 levels following HP demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach (area under the curve [AUC]=0.7102 and P=0.0025). Conclusion: Taken together, our findings suggest HP as a promising therapeutic option in COVID-19. However, a detailed evaluation of HP’s efficacy is required in large prospective multicenter trials.