Background: The SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to the release of various cytokines and inflammatory mediators. These cytokine patterns can serve as predictive markers and inform on the underlying pathobiology of COVID-19.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 65 COVID -ve and 84 COVID +ve hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Cytokines were measured using the Mesoplex protein assay and reported in log pg/ml. COVID +ve patients were categorized into moderate and severe groups based on the severity of their COVID-19 symptoms and radiographic changes.

Results: Compared to COVID -ve patients, COVID +ve patients showed higher levels of IL-2 and MDC but lower T2 cytokines IL-4, IL-13 and IP-10 (p<0.05). IL-36? and pentraxin-3 were lower in our population of COVID +ve patients. Logistic regression analysis showed a negative correlation between severity of COVID-19 with MDC, MCP-1, IL-10 (OR<1.00).

Conclusion: Overall, COVID-19 infections trigger a robust immune response with production of numerous inflammatory cytokines. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to examine the predictive biomarkers for disease and severity. This can inform the development of therapeutic targets to improve patient outcomes.