Circulating mitochondrial DNA is an early indicator of severe illness and mortality from COVID-19

Circulating mitochondrial DNA is an early indicator of severe illness and mortality from COVID-19

Blog Article

Background Mitochondrial DNA (MT-DNA) are intrinsically inflammatory nucleic acids released by damaged solid organs.Whether circulating cell-free MT-DNA quantitation could be used to predict the risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes remains undetermined.Methods We measured circulating MT-DNA levels Under in prospectively collected, cell-free plasma samples from 97 subjects with COVID-19 at hospital presentation.Our primary outcome was mortality.Intensive care unit (ICU) admission, intubation, vasopressor, and renal replacement therapy requirements were secondary outcomes.

Multivariate regression analysis determined whether MT-DNA levels were independent of other reported COVID-19 risk factors.Receiver operating characteristic and area under the curve assessments were used to compare MT-DNA levels with established and emerging inflammatory markers of COVID-19.Results Circulating MT-DNA levels were highly elevated in patients who eventually died or required ICU admission, intubation, vasopressor use, or renal replacement therapy.Multivariate regression revealed that high circulating MT-DNA was an independent risk factor for these outcomes after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities.We also found that circulating MT-DNA levels had a similar or LADIES ACCESSORIES JEWELLERY superior area under the curve when compared against clinically established measures of inflammation and emerging markers currently of interest as investigational targets for COVID-19 therapy.

Conclusion These results show that high circulating MT-DNA levels are a potential early indicator for poor COVID-19 outcomes.Funding Washington University Institute of Clinical Translational Sciences COVID-19 Research Program and Washington University Institute of Clinical Translational Sciences (ICTS) NIH grant UL1TR002345.