Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Blood Test Predicts Severity Of Covid Infections |
Post Reply |
Author | |
ViQueen24
Adviser Group Joined: May 14 2013 Location: Verona, PA Status: Offline Points: 12270 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: October 17 2020 at 3:40pm |
New Blood Test Accurately Predicts Which COVID-19 Patients Will Develop Severe InfectionBy RCSI OCTOBER 16, 2020 Test could inform doctors on best treatment options.Scientists have developed, for the first time, a score that can accurately predict which patients will develop a severe form of Covid-19. The study, led by researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, is published in The Lancet’s translational research journal EBioMedicine. The measurement, called the Dublin-Boston score, is designed to enable clinicians to make more informed decisions when identifying patients who may benefit from therapies, such as steroids, and admission to intensive care units. Until this study, no Covid-19-specific prognostic scores were available to guide clinical decision-making. The Dublin-Boston score can now accurately predict how severe the infection will be on day seven after measuring the patient’s blood for the first four days. Professor Gerry McElvaney (left), the study’s senior author and a consultant in Beaumont Hospital, and Professor Ger Curley (right) stand in front of the RCSI Education and Research Centre in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. Credit: Ray Lohan The blood test works by measuring the levels of two molecules that send messages to the body’s immune system and control inflammation. One of these molecules, interleukin (IL)-6, is pro-inflammatory, and a different one, called IL-10, is anti-inflammatory. The levels of both are altered in severe Covid-19 patients. Based on the changes in the ratio of these two molecules over time, the researchers developed a point system where each 1-point increase was associated with a 5.6 times increased odds for a more severe outcome. “The Dublin-Boston score is easily calculated and can be applied to all hospitalised Covid-19 patients,” said RCSI Professor of Medicine Gerry McElvaney, the study’s senior author and a consultant in Beaumont Hospital. “More informed prognosis could help determine when to escalate or de-escalate care, a key component of the efficient allocation of resources during the current pandemic. The score may also have a role in evaluating whether new therapies designed to decrease inflammation in Covid-19 actually provide benefit.” The Dublin-Boston score uses the ratio of IL-6 to IL-10 because it significantly outperformed measuring the change in IL-6 alone. Despite high levels in blood, using only IL-6 measurements as a Covid-19 prognostic tool is hindered by several factors. IL-6 levels within the same patient vary over the course of any given day, and the magnitude of the IL-6 response to infection varies between different patients. Reference: “A linear prognostic score based on the ratio of interleukin-6 to interleukin-10 predicts outcomes in COVID-19” by Oliver J McElvaney, Brian D Hobbs, Dandi Qiao, Oisín F McElvaney, Matthew Moll, Natalie L McEvoy, Jennifer Clarke, Eoin O’Connor, Seán Walsh, Michael H Cho, Gerard F Curley and Noel G McElvaney, 8 October 2020, EBioMedicine. The Dublin-Boston score was developed by researchers from RCSI, Harvard University, Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. |
|
WitchMisspelled
Adviser Group Joined: January 20 2020 Status: Offline Points: 17170 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Oh this is so awesome! |
|
EdwinSm,
Moderator Joined: April 03 2013 Status: Offline Points: 24065 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Useful in allocating resources that are become scarce as cases are ramping up again. |
|
KiwiMum
Chief Moderator Joined: May 29 2013 Status: Offline Points: 29680 |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
Good find ViQueen. That's so interesting and could be a ground breaker for medical staff. |
|
Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
|
|
Post Reply | |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You can vote in polls in this forum |