Abstract Number: PB0245
Meeting: ISTH 2021 Congress
Theme: COVID and Coagulation » COVID and Coagulation, Clinical
Background: COVID-19 imposes a high burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide; since the beginning of this pandemic, several sex-related differences have been described in the pathogenesis and clinical course of the disease. Although the identification of biomarkers to stratify the severity of the disease is recognized as pivotal to identify patients with a higher risk of clinical deterioration, few studies investigated sex-related differences in the performance of these biomarkers.
Aims: To evaluate sex differences in the serum concentrations of biomarkers of platelet activation and vascular inflammation in patients with COVID-19.
Methods: We performed a retrospective, preliminary analysis of a single center study which is recruiting patients with COVID-19 at different stages of severity. Vascular inflammation and platelet activation markers were measured in batch in serum samples collected from the venous circulation by multiplex bead-based flow cytometry assay.
Results: Among 74 COVID-19 patients (median age: 69 years; 65% males; 55% with clinically-diagnosed severe disease), data on individual biomarkers were available for 69 individuals (36% females). No significant differences were observed for age between males and females. Compared to SARS-Cov2-negative subjects, the serum concentration of soluble CD40L (sCD40L), Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1, Matrix Metalloproteinase-9, Myeloid-Related Protein 8/14, Myeloperoxidase, Osteopontin in SARS-Cov2-positive subjects increased significantly in relation to disease severity. Among these, men, compared to women, showed higher levels of sCD40L, an X-linked marker of platelet activation, (Median: 17892 pg/ml [Interquartile Range, IQR: 11197-34520] vs. 11225 pg/ml [IQR: 5625-22644], p=0.019) and osteopontin, a sialoprotein implicated in estrogen-stimulated endothelial repair (Median: 151184 pg/ml [IQR: 82739-200141] vs. 74219 pg/ml [31602-144440], p=0.011).
Conclusions: In this preliminary analysis, we found that potentially relevant sex-based differences may exists in the levels of thromboinflammatory biomarkers which are currently investigated for the prognostic stratification of COVID-19 patients. Pre-specified analysis disaggregated by sex are needed to take into account differences in the performance of these biomarkers.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Romiti GF, Flego D, Marrapodi R, Corica B, Pasculli P, Carli SM, Zingaropoli MA, Cangemi R, Raparelli V, Ciardi MR, Mastroianni C, Basili S, Stefanini L. Sex Differences in Thromboinflammatory Biomarkers in Patients with COVID-19: Preliminary Findings from a Retrospective, Single Center Study [abstract]. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2021; 5 (Suppl 2). https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/sex-differences-in-thromboinflammatory-biomarkers-in-patients-with-covid-19-preliminary-findings-from-a-retrospective-single-center-study/. Accessed December 10, 2023.« Back to ISTH 2021 Congress
ISTH Congress Abstracts - https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/sex-differences-in-thromboinflammatory-biomarkers-in-patients-with-covid-19-preliminary-findings-from-a-retrospective-single-center-study/