ArticlePloS one2021
Serial measurement of cytokines strongly predict COVID-19 outcome.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prognostic models in COVID-19 infection that predict severity: a systematic review.European journal of epidemiology · 2023Pooled it
- Ruxolitinib for Emergency Treatment of COVID-19-Associated Cytokine Storm: Findings From an Expanded Access Study.The clinical respiratory journal · 2025Trial
- Cytokine levels associated with favorable clinical outcome in the CAPSID randomized trial of convalescent plasma in patients with severe COVID-19.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Trial
- Multiplex Targeted Proteomic Analysis of Cytokine Ratios for ICU Mortality in Severe COVID-19.Proteomes · 2025Article
- A multiplexed LC-MS/MS method to reveal changes in inflammatory and coagulation cascades induced by host infection.Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry · 2025Article
- Alveolar epithelial type 2 cell specific loss of IGFBP2 activates inflammation in COVID-19.Respiratory research · 2025Article
- Increased serum levels of IL-40 are associated with IgA and NETosis biomarkers in Covid-19 patients: IL-40 and infectious diseases.PloS one · 2025Article
- Prospective Variation of Cytokine Trends during COVID-19: A Progressive Approach from Disease Onset until Outcome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Early trajectories of virological and immunological biomarkers and clinical outcomes in patients admitted to hospital for COVID-19: an international, prospective cohort study.The Lancet. Microbe · 2024Article
- Predictive biomarkers of mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 hospitalized in intensive care unit.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Molecular Determinants of the Early Life Immune Response to COVID-19 Infection and Immunization.Vaccines · 2023Review
- SARS-CoV-2-Induced TSLP Is Associated with Duration of Hospital Stay in COVID-19 Patients.Viruses · 2023Article
- Cytokine Levels and Severity of Illness Scoring Systems to Predict Mortality in COVID-19 Infection.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Dexamethasone impairs the expression of antimicrobial mediators in lipopolysaccharide-activated primary macrophages by inhibiting both expression and function of interferon β.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- Utility of laboratory and immune biomarkers in predicting disease progression and mortality among patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease at a Philippine tertiary hospital.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- Clinical and laboratory features in health care volunteers with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.Turkish journal of medical sciences · 2023Article
- Review
- Monitoring of the Forgotten Immune System during Critical Illness-A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Review
- Role of Innate and Adaptive Cytokines in the Survival of COVID-19 Patients.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCytokines are major mediators of COVID-19 pathogenesis and several of them are already being regarded as predictive markers for the clinical course and outcome of COVID-19 cases. A major pitfall of many COVID-19 cytokine studies is the lack of a benchmark sampling timing. Since cytokines and their relative change during an infectious disease course is quite dynamic, we evaluated the predictive value of serially measured cytokines for COVID-19 cases.
methodsIn this single-center, prospective study, a broad spectrum of cytokines were determined by multiplex ELISA assay in samples collected at admission and at the third day of hospitalization. Appropriateness of cytokine levels in predicting mortality were assessed by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses for both sampling times in paralel to conventional biomarkers.
resultsAt both sampling points, higher levels of IL-6, IL-7, IL-10, IL-15, IL-27 IP-10, MCP-1, and GCSF were found to be more predictive for mortality (p<0.05). Some of these cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-10, IL-7 and GCSF, had higher sensitivity and specificity in predicting mortality. AUC values of IL-6, IL-10, IL-7 and GCSF were 0.85 (0.65 to 0.92), 0.88 (0.73 to 0.96), 0.80 (0.63 to 0.91) and 0.86 (0.70 to 0.95), respectively at hospital admission. Compared to hospital admission, on the 3rd day of hospitalization serum levels of IL-6 and, IL-10 decreased significantly in the survivor group, unlike the non-survivor group (IL-6, p = 0.015, and IL-10, p = 0.016).
conclusionOur study results suggest that single-sample-based cytokine analyzes can be misleading and that cytokine levels measured serially at different sampling times provide a more precise and accurate estimate for the outcome of COVID-19 patients.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.