Interleukin-6 Levels of Children Developing SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Pediatrics and Neonatology DOI/10.1016/j.pedneo.2020.04.007, Forthcoming
Posted: 16 Apr 2020 Last revised: 13 May 2020
Date Written: April 1, 2020
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic remains a global threat, with a total number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at 1,696,588 cases worldwide, and a mortality rate of 6.24%. Interestingly, paediatric patients have lower infection rates and a less severe clinical presentation, although the mechanism behind this phenomenon remains elusive. In this article, we aimed to assess the current evidence on the IL-6 levels of paediatric COVID-19 cases. Data from 7 studies was extracted, with a total sample size of n = 127 patients. Results show that paediatric COVID-19 cases had IL-6 levels within normal range (mean: 81%, range from 50 – 100%). This finding contrasts previous reports of high IL-6 in severe adult COVID-19 cases. It also reinforces previous notions that the cytokine storm, indicated by excessive circulating IL-6, is a possible mechanism of COVID-19 progression and that this aggressive inflammatory cascade is less likely to occur in children.
Note: Funding: We did not receive any funding or grants from any sectors including public, commercial, and not-for-profit sectors.
Conflict of interest: None to declare.
Ethical Approval: The study was a review/meta-analysis on previous studies, all of which has obtained ethical approval. Hence, we believe ethical clearance was not required for the study.
Keywords: IL-6, Interleukin, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, paediatric, cytokine storm
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation