Studies show that blood tests can provide an early indicator of severe Covid-19

Washington: A recent study found that a range of biomarkers or biological signals associated with leukocyte activation and obesity could predict the serious consequences of Covid-19. patient..
The results of this study were published in the journal “Blood Advances”.
When patients with Covid-19 arrive in the emergency room, doctors predict which patients are likely to become severely ill and require intensive care and which patients are likely to enjoy rapid recovery. There are relatively few methods.However, this study focuses on biomarkers that help predict serious outcomes. Covid-19 patients..
“Patients with high levels of these markers were prone to need care in the intensive care unit, need ventilation, or die from Covid-19,” said an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine. The lead author, Dr. Hyunjun, said. Director of Translational Research in Medicine and Pathology, and Yale Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program.
Previously, in some laboratory studies, severe Covid-19 thoughts such as D-dimer levels, measures of blood clotting, and levels of proteins known as cytokines released as part of the body’s inflammatory response. The index to be used was specified. However, until now, there have been no test markers that can predict which patients in Covid-19 will eventually become severely ill before showing clinical signs or symptoms of serious illness.
For new research Yale University Researcher Proteomics profiling (screening of multiple proteins in the blood) was used to analyze samples taken from 100 patients experiencing different levels of COVID-19 severity. In all cases, blood samples were collected on the first day of hospitalization of the patient. The researchers also analyzed clinical data from more than 3,000 additional patients with Covid-19 in the Yale New Haven Hospital system.
They found that five proteins associated with neutrophils, a type of white blood cell (resistin, lipocalin-2, HGF, IL-8, and G-CSF), were elevated in Covid-19 patients who later became severely ill. I found that there is. Many of these proteins were previously associated with obesity, but not with Covid-19 or other viral illnesses.
In particular, elevated neutrophil biomarkers in patients who continue to experience more severe symptoms were apparent before those symptoms appeared. All Covid-19 patients admitted to or transferred to the ICU had elevated neutrophil activation markers, but these biomarkers remained low in patients who had never developed a serious illness. did. Patients with low neutrophil biomarker levels did not die.
“This is one of the first demonstrations that a series of biomarkers in the blood of Covid patients can predict final ICU admission, even before such patients become severely ill,” he said. Dr. Alfred Lee, an associate professor of medicine in science, said. Yale Medical Oncology-A member of the Hematology Fellowship Program and the Yale Cancer Center.
Early knowledge of these indicators could significantly improve the treatment of patients, the researchers said.
“For diagnostic tests [for these biomarkers] A better understanding of who is more likely to become seriously ill and can benefit from a higher level of care and consideration for treatments that affect the immune system early in hospitalization if they can be ordered early. You can, “says Chun.
“Many of these drugs have potential side effects, and these tests may help identify the patients who will benefit most,” Chun added.
The study also highlighted the relationship between Covid-19 and obesity, the researchers said.The· Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Keep in mind that obesity and severe obesity increase the risk of severe illness from Covid-19. Obesity has tripled the risk of hospitalization with Covid-19, and levels of obesity index have been shown to correlate with the risk of death from Covid-19.
According to Lee, neutrophils are inflammatory cells, so elevated neutrophils in both obesity with chronic mild inflammation and Covid-19, which causes hyperinflammation in the most severe cases, are possible. It makes sense. It can lead to tissue damage and organ failure.
“There are also signs that neutrophils can be involved in thrombosis and blood clotting,” said Lee, another annoying feature of Covid-19.
Researchers will expand their research into the relationship between biomarkers and Covid-19 by examining patients who have recovered from acute illness.
“We hope that these findings will motivate other groups to see their own patient population,” said Chun, who needs additional validation studies to support the development of diagnostic tests for these biomarkers. Added.
“The evolution of our findings really demonstrates the power of collaboration, which has emerged as one hopeful aspect of this devastating pandemic and will continue to be leveraged for the benefit of patients. We do, “says Lee.