Immune response and disturbance in COVID-19 patients in Thi-Qar governorate

A new beta coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, which is related to SARS-CoV-1 and first appeared in the China toward the end of 2019. It is the cause of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which the World Health Organization classified as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. This study was conducted to evaluate some autoantibodies and their relationship with disease severity in COVID-19 patients and to examine the relationship of Covid-19 infection with age, gender, chronic disease. The study included 120 participants (60 patients infected with Covid-19 molecularly diagnosed at AL-Imam Hussein Teaching Hospital in Thi-Qar Governorate and 60 as control group) for the period from November 2021 to March 2022. The blood sample collected was centrifuged at 4000 RPM for 5 minutes and the serum used for detection immunological parameters, while blood sample used for molecular study. This study showed a significant increase in all studied parameters (anti-ANA, anti-DNA, Hs-CRP and IL-6) with except of anti-citrullinated Peptide antibody in patients. All the studied parameters increased when compared between groups and when compared according to gender with except anti citrullinated Peptide antibody (p.value < 0.05). The study also showed that there.are a significant difference in the concentration of anti-ANA, anti-DNA, HsCRP and IL-6 in control group (p <0.05). The current study illustrated a weak positive correlation between anti-DNA and anti-ANA autoantibody (r=0.261), and between HsCRP and anti-ANA autoantibody (r=0.298), and between RF and anti-ANA autoantibody (r=0.280). The results also showed a weak negative correlation between Hs-CRP and Anti-ACCP antibody (r=-0.264). Our research demonstrated a direct correlation between Covid-19 infection and the development of autoimmune disorders. Infection with Covid-19 may cause a high level of the rheumatic factor, or its presence is thought to increase the chance of infection. Additionally, a high ferritin level influences how serious an infection is and also affects how the liver operates