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Nairz M, Sahanic S, Pizzini A, Böhm A, Tymoszuk P, Mitterstiller AM, von Raffay L, Grubwieser P, Bellmann-Weiler R, Koppelstätter S, Schroll A, Haschka D, Zimmermann M, Blunder S, Trattnig K, Naschberger H, Klotz W, Theurl I, Petzer V, Gehrer C, Mindur JE, Luger A, Schwabl C, Widmann G, Weiss G, Löffler-Ragg J, Tancevski I, Sonnweber T. Quantity of IgG response to SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein predicts pulmonary recovery from COVID-19. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3677. [PMID: 35256646 PMCID: PMC8901626 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07489-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The CovILD study is a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study to systematically follow up patients after coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). We extensively evaluated 145 COVID-19 patients at 3 follow-up visits scheduled for 60, 100, and 180 days after initial confirmed diagnosis based on typical symptoms and a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). We employed comprehensive pulmonary function and laboratory tests, including serum concentrations of IgG against the viral spike (S) glycoprotein, and compared the results to clinical data and chest computed tomography (CT). We found that at the 60 day follow-up, 131 of 145 (90.3%) participants displayed S-specific serum IgG levels above the cut-off threshold. Notably, the highly elevated IgG levels against S glycoprotein positively correlated with biomarkers of immune activation and negatively correlated with pulmonary function and the extent of pulmonary CT abnormalities. Based on the association between serum S glycoprotein-specific IgG and clinical outcome, we generated an S-specific IgG-based recovery score that, when applied in the early convalescent phase, accurately predicted delayed pulmonary recovery after COVID-19. Therefore, we propose that S-specific IgG levels serve as a useful immunological surrogate marker for identifying at-risk individuals with persistent pulmonary injury who may require intensive follow-up care after COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Nairz
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Sabina Sahanic
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Alex Pizzini
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Anna Böhm
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Piotr Tymoszuk
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Laura von Raffay
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Philipp Grubwieser
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rosa Bellmann-Weiler
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sabine Koppelstätter
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andrea Schroll
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - David Haschka
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Martina Zimmermann
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Silvia Blunder
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kristina Trattnig
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Helene Naschberger
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Werner Klotz
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Igor Theurl
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Verena Petzer
- Department of Internal Medicine V, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Clemens Gehrer
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Anna Luger
- Department of Radiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christoph Schwabl
- Department of Radiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gerlig Widmann
- Department of Radiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Günter Weiss
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Iron Metabolism and Anemia Research, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Judith Löffler-Ragg
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ivan Tancevski
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Thomas Sonnweber
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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