Comparative Study on the Role of Serum Levels of Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-8 in Predicting the Severity of COVID-19 and Prognosis in Patients Admitted to Ghaemshahr Razi Hospital

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in a worldwide emergency. Various studies show conflicting and diverse results on the role of inflammatory cytokines in predicting the severity and prognosis in patients with COVID-19. The aim of this study was to compare the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in predicting the severity of COVID-19 and prognosis in patients admitted to Qaemshahr Razi Hospital.

In this cross-sectional prospective study, the serum levels of interleukin 8 and 6 were measured in 51 patients with COVID-19 and compared with 25 healthy individuals in Qaemshahr Razi Hospital, 2021. ELISA method was used to measure these cytokines and data analysis was performed in SPSS V25.

The serum levels of IL6 and IL8 in the patient group were about 4 times and 6 times higher than those of the control group, respectively. Average levels of IL-6 (P=0.004) and IL-8 (P<0.001) were significantly higher in patients with severe COVID-19 compared to moderate form and control group. There was no correlation between the duration of hospitalization and the level of IL-6 (P=0.1), while there was a significant correlation between the length of hospital stay and the level of IL-8 (P=0.012).

IL-6 and IL-8 serum levels in patients with COVID-19 can be helpful in predicting the severity of disease and prognosis of patients.