Interleukin-6 in Critical Coronavirus Disease 2019, a Driver of Lung Inflammation of Systemic Origin?

OBJECTIVES:. To examine whether interleukin-6 in critical coronavirus disease 2019 is higher in arterial than in central venous blood, as a sign of predominantly local pulmonal rather than systemic interleukin-6 production. DESIGN:. Prospective cohort pilot study with repeated weekly measurements of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nikolai Ravn Aarskog, MD, Hans Christian Aass, PhD, Jan Cato Holter, MD, PhD, Morten Rostrup, MD, PhD, Aleksander Rygh Holten, MD, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer 2021-10-01
Series:Critical Care Explorations
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/CCE.0000000000000542
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Summary:OBJECTIVES:. To examine whether interleukin-6 in critical coronavirus disease 2019 is higher in arterial than in central venous blood, as a sign of predominantly local pulmonal rather than systemic interleukin-6 production. DESIGN:. Prospective cohort pilot study with repeated weekly measurements of interleukin-6 in arterial and central venous blood. Respiratory function, assessed with Pao2/Fio2 ratio, was measured at the time of blood sampling. SETTING:. ICU at a university hospital. SUBJECTS:. Nine adult patients with critical coronavirus disease 2019, actively treated and receiving mechanical ventilation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:. No difference between arterial and central venous interleukin-6 was found. There was a significant negative relationship between interleukin-6 concentration and P/F ratio in both arterial (p = 0.04) and central venous (p = 0.03) blood. CONCLUSIONS:. The absence of an arteriovenous interleukin-6 difference implies that interleukin-6 in critical coronavirus disease 2019 is mainly produced outside the lungs as part of a systemic inflammatory response syndrome and act as a driver of local inflammation and damage in the lungs.
ISSN:2639-8028