Researchers from Sweden found out that the severity of coronavirus infection can be predicted by changing the shape and blood content of granulocytes. The article of scientists about the method found is published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Granulocytes are a subgroup of white blood cells, participating in the work of congenital immunity, the first line of protection of the body against pathogens. Researchers from the Caroline Institute studied the characteristics of granulocytes in 26 hospitalized with COVID-19 patients. Scientists took the blood samples in people during the early phase of infection and for four months after their discharge. They analyzed the state of granulocytes from those who were overwhelmed at different stages and compared it with such in healthy people.
“Our study revealed a significant change in the characteristics of all grainlocyte subtypes in patients with COVID-19. This may be associated with the severity of the disease,” said the lead author of the study of Magda Lourdes. According to scientists, with the help of measuring the characteristics of granulocytes, as well as determining the presence of widely used biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and creatinine, one can predict the main clinical features of infection, for example, the function of external respiration and the development of polyorgan deficiency.
Previously, researchers from the United States found out that it is possible to predict the development of a severe form of COVID-19 by the picture of the spread of the virus in the nasophaling. In people with it, the activation of genes responsible for antiviral reactions was noticeably suppressed.