Chemerin Levels in COVID-19 Are More Affected by Underlying Diseases than by the Virus Infection Itself

Background/objectives: Chemerin is an adipokine involved in inflammatory and metabolic diseases, and its circulating levels have been associated with inflammatory parameters in various patient cohorts. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which causes COVID-19, triggers inflammatory pathways. However, the association between serum chemerin levels and COVID-19 disease severity and outcomes has not been definitively established.

Methods: In this study, serum chemerin levels were analyzed in 64 patients with moderate COVID-19 and 60 patients with severe disease.

Results: The results showed that serum chemerin levels were comparable between these two groups and slightly higher than in healthy controls. Notably, COVID-19 patients with hypertension exhibited elevated serum chemerin levels, while those with liver cirrhosis had lower levels. When patients with these comorbidities were excluded from the analyses, serum chemerin levels in COVID-19 patients were similar to those in healthy controls. Positive correlations were observed between serum chemerin levels and markers such as alkaline phosphatase, C-reactive protein, eosinophils, and lymphocytes in the entire cohort, as well as in the subgroup excluding patients with hypertension and cirrhosis. Additionally, urinary chemerin levels were comparable between COVID-19 patients and controls, and neither hypertension nor dialysis significantly affected urinary chemerin levels. Both survivors and non-survivors had similar serum and urinary chemerin levels.

Conclusions: In conclusion, this study suggests that comorbidities such as arterial hypertension and liver cirrhosis do have a more significant impact on serum chemerin levels than SARS-CoV-2 infection itself.