Association of IL-17A, IL-6, Leukocytes, CRP, Ferritin, Computed Tomography and D-Dimer with COVID-19 Severity and Prognosis during the Omicron Phase in Iraq

A cytokine storm and a particular change in blood chemistry were identified as the two main phenomena associated with COVID-19 infection.The goal of this study was to ascertain whether there was any correlation between these markers and the amount of cytokines present in COVID-19 patients during the Omicron variant phase of SARS-CoV-2.A total of 150 COVID-19 patients (80 males and 70 females) have been selected.These patients were transferred to Al-Amal-Hospital for Specialized Diseases between December 2022 and February 2023.Based on their percentage of SpO2, these patients were classified as mild/moderate (55 cases) and severe/critical (95 cases) in accordance with the National Health World guidelines (WHO, 2020).D-dimer and C-reactive protein (CRP) were noticeably increased as well as computed tomography (CT) rates (% lung involvement) was significantly higher in critically affected patients.Additionally, an association was noticed among IL-17A, CT scans and IL-6.The strong association between IL-17A and decreased cell counts may indicate that the cytokines indirectly influences lymphocyte production.Furthermore, the neutrophilia seen in COVID-19 may be caused by elevated IL-17A levels.