Cytokine Storm and Laboratory TestingEducational Resources for you
Background
While most people with COVID-19 exhibit mild symptoms, approximately one in five develop severe pneumonia.1 Of severe COVID-19 patients, approximately 5% develop a systemic dysregulated cytokine response.1,2 This extreme immune response, called cytokine storm (CS), is associated with severe COVID-19 disease and can cause widescale cellular and organ tissue damage.
The use of inflammation, tissue and organ damage biomarkers can help clinicians understand the severity of the disease and implement timely interventions for COVID-19 patients at risk for CS.
High serum levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were found in patients with severe COVID-19.3,4 IL-6 levels were higher in COVID-19 patients with severe disease.3,5
Tissue and organ damage in patients with CS can be monitored with a variety of laboratory tests.6
Tissue and organ damage markers, such as:
Siemens Healthineers has a robust menu‡ of inflammatory markers (including a key marker, IL-6†) and other lab tests to assess tissue and organ damage. Some or all uses of the analytes described have not been approved or cleared by the FDA.
Educational Resources
AACC webinar: Cytokine Storm Syndrome and COVID-19
Watch the webinar on demand today
Dr. Randy Cron discusses criteria for identifying cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) in patients, complications, and available potential treatments, which include glucocorticoids but also targeted therapies that dampen pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6.
Speaker:
Randy Cron, MD, PhD
University of Alabama at Birmingham
†ADVIA Centaur IL6 assay has been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use by authorized laboratories. This test has been authorized only to assist in identifying severe inflammatory response, when used as an aid in determining the risk of intubation with mechanical ventilation in confirmed COVID-19 patients. This test is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21. U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner. Product availability may vary from country to country and is subject to varying regulatory requirements. Please contact your local representative for availability.
‡ Product availability varies by country.
1 Siddiqi HK, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healun.2020.03.012.
2 Zhou Y, et al. National Science Review. 2020. DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwaa041.
3 Qin C, et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2020. https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa248/5803306.
4 Del Valle, Kim-Schulze, Huang, et al. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.28.20115758.
5 Zhou F, et al. The Lancet. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3.
6 https://www.ifcc.org/ifcc-news/2020-03-26-ifcc-information-guide-on-covid-19/. (Accessed January 5, 2021).
IMMULITE TNFα, IL-1ß, IL2R, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10, Atellica IM IL- 6, BN and Atellica NEPH SAA assays are not FDA cleared/approved for sale in the U.S.
Some or all uses of the analytes described have not been approved or cleared by the FDA.