Abstract
Background: A crucial balance exists between oxidant and antioxidant
mechanisms in the functional immune system. We aimed to evaluate the
contributions of balance between these systems to coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19), a devastating pandemic caused by viral infection.
Method: We analyzed serum oxidant and antioxidant stress parameters
according to the clinical and demographic characteristics of children
and adults with COVID-19 and compared them against the values of healthy
controls. Serum native thiol (NT), total thiol (TT), disulfide, total
antioxidant status, total oxidant status, and ischemia-modified albumin
levels were evaluated and compared between groups. Results: A total of
79 children and 74 adults were evaluated in the present study, including
46 children and 40 adults with COVID-19, 33 healthy children, and 34
healthy adults. TT, NT, and disulfide levels were significantly lower in
the adult COVID-19 group than in all other groups (p = 0.001, p = 0.001,
and p = 0.005, respectively). Additionally, TT and NT levels were
significantly lower in both pediatric and adult COVID-19 cases with
severe disease course than mild/moderate course. TT and NT levels were
identified as predictors for the diagnosis of the adult COVID-19 cases
and as independent predictors for disease severity in both children and
adults with COVID-19. Conclusion: Parameters that reveal the oxidant and
antioxidant capacity, including TT and NT, appear to be good candidates
for the accurate prediction of the clinical course among patients with
COVID-19.