TEMPESTADE INFLAMATÓRIA NA COVID-19: HÁ DIFERENÇA ENTRE OS SEXOS? UMA ANÁLISE DAS INTERLEUCINAS IL-6, IL-1Β E IL- 15 EM PACIENTES HOSPITALIZADOS

INTRODUCTION: Covid-19, caused by the Sars-CoV-2 virus, has evolved into a global pandemic, affecting millions of individuals and revealing variations in clinical outcomes across diverse groups. Increasing evidence suggests that the immune response, including levels of interleukins, may play a pivotal role in disease progression and outcomes. AIMS: The current study aimed to assess gender-based differences in the levels of interleukins IL-6, IL-1B, and IL-15 in hospitalized covid-19 patients and to investigate potential discrepancies in mortality rates between genders in cases requiring orotracheal intubation (OTI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis on patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, admitted between March 2020 and March 2021 at Marcelino Champagnat Hospital in Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Levels of interleukins IL-6, IL-1B, and IL-15 were measured from samples collected early upon hospital admission. RESULTS: The results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in the levels of the three interleukins between genders (p=0.861 for IL-6; p=0.257 for IL-1B; p=0.401 for IL-15), nor in the mortality rates among cases subjected to OTI (p=0.764 for IL-6; p=0.855 for IL-1B; p=0.810 for IL-15). In-hospital mortality rates for men and women were similar (p=0.821). FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: Therefore, we infer that the similarity in the inflammatory profile may contribute to the absence of mortality discrepancies between genders.

KEYWORDS: Covid; Inflammation; Cytokine storm.