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Cited by 855

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 73 of the 73 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Cytokine elevation in severe and critical COVID-19: a rapid systematic review, meta-analysis, and comparison with other inflammatory syndromes

Open access
Leisman, Daniel E, Ronner, Lukas, Pinotti, Rachel, Taylor, Matthew D, Sinha, Pratik, Calfee, Carolyn S, Hirayama, Alexandre V, Mastroiani, Fiore, Turtle, Cameron J, Harhay, Michael O, Legrand, Matthieu, Deutschman, Clifford S·2020·The Lancet Respiratory Medicine

Abstract

The description of a so-called cytokine storm in patients with COVID-19 has prompted consideration of anti-cytokine therapies, particularly interleukin-6 antagonists. However, direct systematic comparisons of COVID-19 with other critical illnesses associated with elevated cytokine concentrations have not been reported. In this Rapid Review, we report the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis of COVID-19 studies published or posted as preprints between Nov 1, 2019, and April 14, 2020, in which interleukin-6 concentrations in patients with severe or critical disease were recorded. 25 COVID-19 studies (n=1245 patients) were ultimately included. Comparator groups included four trials each in sepsis (n=5320), cytokine release syndrome (n=72), and acute respiratory distress syndrome unrelated to COVID-19 (n=2767). In patients with severe or critical COVID-19, the pooled mean serum interleukin-6 concentration was 36·7 pg/mL (95% CI 21·6–62·3 pg/mL; I2=57·7%). Mean interleukin-6 concentrations were nearly 100 times higher in patients with cytokine release syndrome (3110·5 pg/mL, 632·3–15 302·9 pg/mL; p<0·0001), 27 times higher in patients with sepsis (983·6 pg/mL, 550·1–1758·4 pg/mL; p<0·0001), and 12 times higher in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome unrelated to COVID-19 (460 pg/mL, 216·3–978·7 pg/mL; p<0·0001). Our findings question the role of a cytokine storm in COVID-19-induced organ dysfunction. Many questions remain about the immune features of COVID-19 and the potential role of anti-cytokine and immune-modulating treatments in patients with the disease.

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Metadata

Authors
Leisman, D. E., Ronner, L., Pinotti, R., Taylor, M. D., Sinha, P., Calfee, C. S., Hirayama, A. V., Mastroiani, F., Turtle, C. J., Harhay, M. O., Legrand, M., & Deutschman, C. S.
Venue
The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-12
Volume
8
Issue
12
Pages
1233-1244
ISSN
2213-2600 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3093261446
Cited by
855
References
73
FWCI
9.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
bronze

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Cytokine elevation in severe and critical COVID-19: a rapid systematic review, meta-analysis, and comparison with other inflammatory syndromes. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1016/s2213-2600(20)30404-5
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Leisman, D. E., Ronner, L., Pinotti, R., Taylor, M. D., Sinha, P., Calfee, C. S., Hirayama, A. V., Mastroiani, F., Turtle, C. J., Harhay, M. O., Legrand, M., & Deutschman, C. S. (2020). Cytokine elevation in severe and critical COVID-19: a rapid systematic review, meta-analysis, and comparison with other inflammatory syndromes. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2213-2600(20)30404-5

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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

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