Role of Interleukin 6 as Predictive Factor for the Severity of COVID 19

Abstract

Abstract Background Covid-19 is a disease with high morbidity and mortality among elderly residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF). During an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the LTCF an effective screening tool is essential to identify the patients at risk for severe disease. Excessive interleukin-6 signaling is a key factor contributing to the cytokine release syndrome implicated in clinical manifestations of COVID-19. Aim of the Work To determine the Role of interleukin 6 as predictive factor for the severity of Covid-19. Patients and Methods This was Case Control study, conducted at Abassia Fever hospital and El Demerdash University Hospital on 75 participants (50 patients with Covid-19 disease manifestation and 25 controls) during a period of 6 months. Results There was no statistically significant difference between cases with less than 50% and more than 50% lung affection among mild cases groups as regard serum IL-6. Conclusion The concentration of IL-6 > 24 pg/mL at initial assessment predicted the development of hypoxemia requiring hospitalization with excellent sensitivity and good specificity. IL-6 appears as a potential predictor for the development of the severe Covid-19 and might serve for early identification of patients in need of hospitalization. Further studies are needed to evaluate the robustness of the use of IL-6 as an effective screening tool for the severe course of Covid-19.