Scientists have identified survival factors for COVID-19
A group of researchers from Spain and Canada studied the role of factors affecting the survival of patients with severe coronavirus infection. For this, the characteristics of the patients' blood were analyzed. The results are published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.
How protected a person is from COVID-19 can be judged by three indicators of a blood test: the level of specific antibodies against certain antigens, or parts of the virus; the total number of antigens; the amount of viral RNA in the blood.
Specific antibodies block the multiplication of the virus in the body. The total amount of antigens indicates substances that the body perceives as foreign. The amount of viral RNA is a measure of the current volume of the virus in the body.
Until now, it was not clear which of these characteristics should be considered key for determining the degree of risk of death.
Scientists examined the blood of 92 patients from various clinics with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. After the work carried out, it turned out that only the level of specific antibodies against the spike protein of the coronavirus directly correlates with the risk of mortality. It is these antibodies that are formed during vaccination.
However, the other two named parameters are related to the first.
The authors expressed the hope that their results will help determine the optimal antibody levels required for a particular critically ill patient to overcome the coronavirus.
