Post-COVID Sydrom: immunological sequelae after COVID-19 infection

• Grant number: 21/08624-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Marcel Cerqueira Cesar Machado
• Grantee: Marcel Cerqueira Cesar Machado
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Francisco Garcia Soriano ; Rui Curi ; Tania Cristina Pithon Curi
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/02109-9 - Post-COVID Syndrome: immunological sequels after COVID-19 infection, BP.PD

Abstract

COVID-19 is an infectious disease primarily of the respiratory tract that resulted in more than 4 million documented deaths by the first half of 2021. About 5% of those infected progress to severe or life-threatening COVID-19 presenting severe lung damage or even multiple organ dysfunction. Sepsis and COVID-19 share many pathophysiological and clinical features such as consumptive thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, vascular microthrombosis, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, coagulopathy, septic shock, respiratory failure, fever, leukopenia, hypotension, leukocytosis, and high cytokine production. One in six patients recovered from sepsis develop the post-sepsis syndrome, which is characterized by impaired immune function, a state of chronic inflammation, similar to elderly and immunosuppressed patients with inadequate response to infections, impairment in cognitive, psychiatric, cardiovascular, renal, and decreased quality of life. Due to the great similarity between the pathophysiology of sepsis and COVID-19, it is believed that patients who developed COVID-19 and who present sequelae may also develop Post-Covid Syndrome. Based on this possibility, the objective of this study is to identify and characterize the Post-Covid Syndrome, as well as the prognostic markers of quality of life and survival of patients after hospital discharge, based on markers that have already been studied by the group in septic patients. There will be the evaluation of the metabolic, immunological and psychological status of patients after COVID-19; the metabolic state through analysis of medical records and laboratory tests; the immune status through survival and prognostic markers with microRNAs -15b-5p, -16-5p, -20a-5p, -25-3p, -27a-3p, -29a-3p, -30d-5p, - 93-5p, -146a-5p, -148a -3p, -191-5p, -195-5p, -223-3p, study of the expression of genes NLRP3, TLR2, TLR4, NF-kB, IL-1², IL- 1±, IL-10, TNF-±, IL-18, caspase 1, caspase 11, caspase 12, HSP70, HSP40 and HMGB1 from monocytes and pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the supernatant of the culture also from monocytes; and, also, the psychological state through the assessment of the quality of life of patients using the short-form health survey SF-36 questionnaire. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

R. GORJÃO; S.M. HIRABARA; L.N. MASI; T.D.A. SERDAN; R.B. GRITTE; E. HATANAKA; T. SOUZA-SIQUEIRA; A.C. PITHON-CURI; T.M. DE LIMA; T.C. PITHON-CURI; et al. Poor prognosis indicators of type-2 diabetic COVID-19 patients. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, v. 55, 2022-06-22. (19/25892-8, 18/07283-1, 18/09868-7, 20/04738-8, 21/08624-0)

GORJAO, R.; HIRABARA, S. M.; MASI, L. N.; SERDAN, T. D. A.; GRITTE, R. B.; HATANAKA, E.; SOUZA-SIQUEIRA, T.; PITHON-CURI, A. C.; DE LIMA, T. M.; PITHON-CURI, T. C.; et al. Poor prognosis indicators of type-2 diabetic COVID-19 patients. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, v. 55, n. 1, p. 11-pg., 2022-01-01. (18/09868-7, 20/04738-8, 21/08624-0, 19/25892-8, 18/07283-1)