Effects of Immunotoxicity biomarkers, essential elements and vitamin D levels on the severity levels of COVID-19 disease in Turkey

Many mechanisms are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in 2019 and affected the whole world. It has been claimed that a deficiency in the immune system can significantly affect the severity of COVID-19 disease. It is important that the levels of essential elements and vitamin D are at certain levels for the healthy functioning of the immune system. Therefore, in this study, it was aimed to evaluate immunotoxicity biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-10, interferon (IFN)-γ, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1)), vitamin D, and essential element levels in COVID-19 patients in Turkey. According to the results of the study, it was found that the magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and selenium (Se) levels decreased as the severity of the disease worsened, while the iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) levels were similar to the mild group and the control group, and the levels decreased as the disease worsened. It has also been found that vitamin D levels decrease as the severity of the disease worsens. Compared to the control group, TNF-α, MCP-1, and IFN-γ levels were found to decrease as the severity of the disease worsened. Also, it was observed that there was a significant relationship between essential metal levels and disease progression in most of the patient groups.