CORRELATION BETWEEN MONOCYTIC CHEMOTACTIC PROTEIN-1 (MCP-1) AND THE SEVERITY OF COVID-19 INFECTION.

Background: The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) poses several challenges to clinicians. Serum chemokine levels such as MCP-1and IL-6 are elevated in patients with COVID-19, and they are even higher in those who required intensive-care unit (ICU) admission, suggesting a relationship between these chemokines and both lung damage and disease severity.
Aim of the study: To evaluate the level of monocytic chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in mild, severe and post COVID-19 patients to explore the correlation between (MCP-1) and the severity of the disease. The findings of this study will add to our understanding the role of MCP-1 in diagnosis of COVID-19 patients and the relation between MCP-1 level and the severity of the disease, providing potential diagnostic, prognostic and even therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 patients using MCP-1 as a marker.
Patients and Methods: This case control study was conducted as a collaborate work between the Clinical Pathology Department and the Intensive Care Units at Ain Shams University Hospital between March 2021 and November 2021.The study included 87 patients diagnosed as COVID-19 positive by PCR. Patients were subdivided according to the clinical condition into severe group (n =45) (51.8%), mild group(n=22) (25.2%) and convalescent group(n=20) (23%) as well as 60 age and gender matched healthy subjects were recruited as a control group.
Results: Our results stated that MCP-1 can differentiate the current cases (either mild or severe) from the convalescent cases as well as the other lab markers (CRP, D-Dimer and ferritin). However, according to our results MCP-1 had even more sensitivity and specificity than other lab markers (CRP, D-Dimer and ferritin).
Conclusion: This study added to our understanding the role of MCP-1 in diagnosis of COVID-19 patients and the relation between MCP-1 level and the severity of the disease, providing potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies for COVID-19 patients using MCP-1 as a marker. However, further research is needed about the advantages of MCP-1 over the other known markers in the diagnosis and the prognosis of COVID.