Elevated IL-18 Predicts Poor Prognosis in Critically ill COVID-19 Patients at a Brazilian Hospital in 2020–21
L COUTINHO, Caroline Nobre Oliveira, Polianna LMM Albuquerque, Sandra MB Mota, Gdayllon Cavalcante Meneses, Alice Maria Costa Martins, Geraldo BS, Marco Clementino, Rafhaella NDG Gondim, Alexandre Havt, Luciano PG Cavalcanti, Juliana Navarro Ueda Yaochite
Abstract
Background: A dysregulated inflammatory response contributes to decline in patients with COVID-19. This cross-sectional study evaluated biomarkers of unvaccinated patients admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil. Methods: Twenty cytokines were quantified upon hospital admission; clinical and laboratory data were analyzed, as well as sociodemographic data, to search for an association with clinical outcomes, including fatal (n = 40) or recovered cases (n = 38). Results: Fatal cases exhibited significantly higher levels of IL-18 (p = 0.009); deceased patients were older (p = 0.0001), had a lower number of platelets (p = 0.0063) and higher neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.0230) than those who recovered. Conclusion: These findings indicate that IL-18 is a possible marker to predict poor prognosis in critically ill patients with COVID-19.