Characterization of the inflammatory response to COVID-19 illness in pregnancy

Pregnant patients face greater morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 related illness than their non-pregnant peers. Previous research in non-pregnant patients established that poor clinical outcomes in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients admitted to the ICU were correlated with a significant increase in th...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Cytokine (Philadelphia, Pa.) Vol. 170; p. 156319
Main Authors:	Forrest, Alexandra D., Poliektov, Natalie E., Easley, Kirk A., Michopoulos, Vasiliki, Ravi, Meghna, Cheedarla, Narayanaiah, Neish, Andrew S., Cheedarla, Suneetha, Roback, John D., Dunlop, Anne L., Badell, Martina L., Dude, Carolynn M.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2023
Subjects:	COVID-19 IL-10 IL-1β IL-8 Inflammation Non-Hispanic Black Pregnancy SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 Pregnancy SARS-CoV-2 Non-Hispanic Black Inflammation IL-1β IL-8 IL-10
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Pregnant patients face greater morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 related illness than their non-pregnant peers. Previous research in non-pregnant patients established that poor clinical outcomes in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients admitted to the ICU were correlated with a significant increase in the proinflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10. Importantly, high levels of these inflammatory markers have also been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including spontaneous preterm birth, preeclampsia, and severe respiratory disease. This was a retrospective cohort study that compared the serum inflammatory cytokine profiles of pregnant patients with acute/post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection to those with previous exposure. All subjects in both cohorts tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; however, those in the acute/post-acute infection cohort had a documented positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) result within 30 days of serum sample collection. Serum samples were obtained during prenatal venipuncture from 13 to 39 weeks’ gestation and the cohorts were matched by gestational age. The inflammatory cytokines interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-10, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were assayed from maternal serum using a standard ELISA assay and median cytokine concentrations were compared using the Mann-Whitney test. We enrolled 50 non-Hispanic Black patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection who received prenatal care at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Those with acute/post-acute infection (n = 22) had significantly higher concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 antibody, IL-10, IL-1β, and IL-8, while patients with previous exposure (n = 28) had significantly higher concentrations of IL-4. There were no significant inter-group differences in medical comorbidities. Pregnant patients with acute/post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infection had significantly higher serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines as compared to those with previous exposure, suggesting that, like in the non-pregnant population, SARS-CoV-2 infection alters the levels of circulating proinflammatory markers during pregnancy. The increased levels of cytokines may contribute to the adverse obstetric outcomes observed with COVID-19 illness.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1043-4666 1096-0023
DOI:	10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156319