Cytokines and their relationship with the severity and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a retrospective cohort study

ObjectiveTo delineate the characteristics and clinical significance of plasma inflammatory cytokines altered in COVID-19.DesignRetrospective, single-centre cohort study.SettingTongji Hospital in Wuhan, China.ParticipantsAmong a cohort of 308 patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19, 138 patients died while 170 patients recovered and were discharged from the hospital. The data were collected until 27 February 2020.Primary and secondary outcome measuresClinical characteristics and laboratory findings were obtained from electronic medical records using data collection forms.ResultsThe percentage of patients with elevated interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) increased with severity of disease (p