Though several vaccines have proven effective in reducing COVID-19 cases, the emergence of new variants, declining immunity, and limited distribution of the vaccines necessitate the development of more efficacious treatments for the disease. A team of researchers from Sweden has shown, for the first time, that patients with acute COVID-19 infection have higher levels of the cytokine IL-26 than healthy controls. This increase was associated with a cytokine storm —an excessive inflammatory response that is typical for severe COVID-19 cases.
Researchers could further correlate the blood concentration of IL-26 with increased lactate dehydrogenase levels, a marker of tissue damage, and decreased mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), a hematological aberration detected in COVID-19 . The findings suggest that IL-26 could serve as a potential biomarker for severe COVID-19 cases and, given its…
