ArticleAmerican journal of otolaryngology
Relationship between disease severity and serum IL-6 levels in COVID-19 anosmia.
Article in American journal of otolaryngology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between chemosensory dysfunctions and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Inflammopharmacology · 2022Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in COVID-19.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2022Pooled it
- Is loss of smell an early predictor of COVID-19 severity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of pharmacal research · 2021Pooled it
- Study on the pathogenesis of PLXNB1 gene in olfactory dysfunction of allergic rhinitis.PloS one · 2026Article
- Chest CT as a diagnostic tool for COVID-19 in resource-limited Countries : Diagnostic accuracy of chest CT for COVID-19 pneumonia in a resource-limited Gaza cohort: a retrospective study of 252 patients.Emergency radiology · 2025Article
- Inflammatory Markers as Predictors of Onset and Recovery of Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients.Cureus · 2025Article
- IL-6 and Olfactory Dysfunction: Focus on Changes, Effects, and Mechanisms.Mediators of inflammation · 2025Review
- Prolactin Role in COVID-19 and Its Association with the Underlying Inflammatory Response.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Pro-inflammatory markers associated with COVID-19-related persistent olfactory dysfunction.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2024Article
- Fullerenol CInternational journal of nanomedicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Obesity and Viral Infections.Gastroenterology clinics of North America · 2023Review
- The immune mechanism of the nasal epithelium in COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Unveiling COVID-19 Secrets: Harnessing Cytokines as Powerful Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Predicting Severity.Journal of inflammation research · 2023Article
- Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19: new insights into the underlying mechanisms.Trends in neurosciences · 2023Review
- Anosmia in COVID-19 Patients: Can We Predict the Severity of Chest Manifestations?International archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2023Article
- Frequency and burden of neurological manifestations upon hospital presentation in COVID-19 patients: Findings from a large Brazilian cohort.Journal of the neurological sciences · 2022Article
- Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19, new insights from a cohort of 353 patients: The ANOSVID study.Journal of medical virology · 2022Article
- Interleukin-6 Is a Promising Marker of COVID-19 in Children: A Case Series of 2 Brothers with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia.The American journal of case reports · 2022Article
- Correlation of Lung Damage on CT Scan with Laboratory Inflammatory Markers in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Study from Romania.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
18 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAn association between IL-6 levels and cytokine storm syndrome in COVID-19 patients has been suggested. Cases with higher IL-6 levels have more rapid progression and a higher complication rate. On the other hand, COVID-19 cases with anosmia have a milder course of the disease.
objectiveWe aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between serum IL-6 levels and presence of anosmia in COVID-19 patients.
methodsPatients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 based on laboratory (PCR) were stratified into two groups based on presence of olfactory dysfunction (OD). In all cases with and without anosmia; psychophysical test (Sniffin' Sticks test) and a survey on olfactory symptoms were obtained. Threshold (t) - discrimination (d) - identification (i), and total (TDI) scores reflecting olfactory function were calculated. Clinical symptoms, serum IL-6 levels, other laboratory parameters, and chest computed tomography (CT) findings were recorded.
resultsA total of 59 patients were included, comprising 23 patients with anosmia and 36 patients without OD based on TDI scores. Patients with anosmia (41.39 ± 15.04) were significantly younger compared to cases without anosmia (52.19 ± 18.50). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of comorbidities, smoking history, and symptoms including nasal congestion and rhinorrhea. Although serum IL-6 levels of all patients were above normal values (7 pg/mL), patients with anosmia had significantly lower serum IL-6 levels (16.72 ± 14.28 pg/mL) compared to patients without OD (60.95 ± 89.33 pg/mL) (p = 0.026).
conclusionPatients with COVID-19 related anosmia tend to have significantly lower serum levels of IL-6 compared to patients without OD, and the lower IL-6 levels is related to milder course of the disease. With the effect of low cytokine storm and IL-6 level, it may be said that anosmic cases have a milder disease in COVID-19.
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