Plasma IP-10 could identify early lung disease in severe COVID-19 patients

The first case of infection with the novel SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in Singapore in January 2020. Older age, obesity, comorbidities and male sex are risk factors for more severe disease. However the immune interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and the host in local multi-ethnic Asian patients remains unclear. Our objective was to investigate plasma levels of interferon gamma inducible protein-10 (IP-10) in patients with Coronavirus-2019 disease (COVID-19) and their correlation with disease manifestations. Elevated plasma IP-10 levels were observed in 72 hospitalised COVID-19 patients with symptomatic disease at the National Centre of Infectious Disease (NCID, Singapore), and were significantly correlated with increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and changes in neutrophil and lymphocyte count. In addition, COVID-19 patients with early chest X-ray changes exhibited higher plasma of IP-10 than those without. Logistic regression incorporating laboratory variables including elevated CRP, thrombocytosis and high IP-10 levels exceeding 200 pg/ml demonstrated significant univariate association with severe COVID-19 disease and requirement for intensive care monitoring.