Observational studyJournal of endocrinological investigation2024
Adrenal function in relation to cytokines and outcome in non-critically ill patients with COVID-19.
Observational study in Journal of endocrinological investigation, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Possible Involvement of Hypothalamic Dysfunction in Long COVID Patients Characterized by Delayed Response to Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Post-COVID-19 incidentally discovered adrenal findings (a CT-focused real-life study).Romanian journal of morphology and embryology = Revue roumaine de morphologie et embryologieArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeWe aimed to identify whether hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction is related to deterioration in a percentage of patients who progress to severe COVID-19.
methodsIn this cohort observational study, we evaluated HPA axis activation by measuring cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels, whole blood expression levels of the key glucocorticoid receptor, GCR-α, and the glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ), and cytokines, as markers of the inflammatory phase, in 149 patients with respiratory infection admitted in the ward, without known adrenal disease and/or confounding medications (glucocorticoids). One hundred and four (104) patients were SARS-CoV-2 positive (C +) and controls consisted of 45 SARS-CoV-2-negative patients (NC).
resultsNo differences in cortisol levels were observed between the C + and the NC patients. Cortisol levels correlated with ACTH (r = 0.284, p = 0.001) and IL-6 (r = 0.289, p = 0.04). In C + patients, cortisol levels mainly correlated with IL-6 levels (r = 0.28; p = 0.017). GCR-α expression was significantly higher in C + patients compared to NC. Patients with higher cortisol levels were more likely to progress to respiratory function deterioration or die. Both GCR-α and GILZ expression were significantly higher in C + non-survivors.
conclusionOur findings indicate that cortisol serves as an indicator of disease severity. GILZ expression appears to be a more effective marker of mortality prediction in moderate COVID-19 cases. However, routine measurement of GILZ levels is currently unavailable. Elevated levels of cortisol may be indicative of patients with moderate COVID-19 who are at a higher risk of deterioration. This information can aid in identifying individuals who require early medical attention.
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