Relationship between IL-6 and COVID-19

The pandemic Coronavirus-disease 19 (COVID-19) is characterized clinically by a highly variable course. While most patients experience only mild symptoms, a relevant proportion develop severe disease progression with increasing hypoxia up to acute respiratory distress syndrome. About 5% of patients require intensive care treatment including mechanical ventilation.

This

variability of COVID-19

and the shortage of health care resources in heavily affected regions make efficient allocation of resources towards patients at high risk for deterioration crucial. To identify variables that allow the prediction of patients with a high risk of respiratory failure and need of mechanical ventilation.

COVID-19 associated infections have been well described and include cytokine storm, inflammation, pathologic coagulation, endothelial dysfunction, kidney and heart problems However, there is no specific target antiviral treatment and no vaccine is currently available for COVID-19. The COVID-19 treatments include antiviral drugs treatments, steroids, plasma from recovered patients and mesenchymal stem cell transplantation.

Among the therapeutic strategies, no antiviral treatments have been approved but some molecules have been proposed such as chloroquine, baricitinib and hydroxychloroquine. Also, tocilizumab and anti-TNF-α are used for preventing cytokine storm.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are 4-aminoquinolines and are used to treat malaria, lupus erythematosus and RA. A study reported that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Studies have also reported that they have broad-spectrum antiviral activity, particularly against SARS, and have recently been included in the Chinese and Italian guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19.

The important role of IL-6 in host defense should always be considered in clinical practice. During COVID-19 treatments, several algorithms are used for patients who have several clinical symptoms. However, the responses of the treatment for cytokine storm, especially IL-6 production, are still unknown.

Elevated systemic IL-6 levels according to COVID-19 severity should be important for determination of higher risk of disease deterioration. Therefore, monitoring of the IL-6 or targeting treatment of the IL-6 for COVID-19 positive patients may be a new target for effective treatment.

IL-6 is an important cytokine with pleiotropic functions such as metabolic regulation to inflammation, auto-immunity and acute-phase response.

COVID-19 patients had high levels of IL-6 that were associated with pulmonary inflammation and extensive lung damage.

COVID-19 infection has an aggressive inflammatory response with a large amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines, known as the ‘cytokine storm’.

IL-6 may be a therapeutic target for inhibiting the cytokine storm and cytokine storm-associated organ damage.

Accurex Biomedical

Accurex Biomedical Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian manufacturer and marketer which provides accurate and quality solutions in the diagnostic industry.

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