Serum Interleukin-6 as a Potential Indicator of Severity in Covid-19 Patients: A Cohort Study

Interleukin-6 is produced by a variety of cell types, but the most important sources are macrophages and monocytes at inflammatory sites. IL-6 is the chief stimulator for the production of most acute-phase proteins, whereas the other implicated cytokines influence subgroups of acute-phase proteins. IL-6 stimulates the inflammatory and auto-immune processes in many diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Neuro Myelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), diabetes, atherosclerosis, depression, Alzheimer's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, Behçet's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and intracerebral hemorrhage.Hence, there is an interest in developing anti-IL-6 agents as therapy against many of these diseases. The first such is tocilizumab, which has been approved for rheumatoid arthritis. Castleman's disease and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Others are in clinical trials