Circulating Osteopontin Levels and Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Critical Care Medicine
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Severe COVID-19 involves hyper-inflammation, with inflammatory biomarkers used for risk stratification.
• Osteopontin (OPN), a glyco-phosphoprotein, modulates leukocyte activation and is linked to poor sepsis outcomes.
• The prognostic value of OPN in COVID-19 patients was previously unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate Osteopontin (OPN) levels in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• To determine the association between OPN levels and in-hospital outcomes, including mortality, mechanical ventilation, and renal replacement therapy (RRT).
• To compare the risk prediction ability of OPN with other inflammatory biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Serum OPN levels were measured in 341 hospitalized COVID-19 patients within 48 hours of admission.
• Associations between OPN levels and clinical outcomes (death, mechanical ventilation, RRT, composite endpoint) were analyzed.
• Multivariable analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of outcomes, comparing OPN to other inflammatory markers.

Main Results:

• COVID-19 patients exhibited significantly higher serum OPN levels compared to healthy controls (96.63 vs. 16.56 ng/mL).
• Elevated OPN levels (≥140.66 ng/mL) were independently associated with increased odds of death (3.5x) and mechanical ventilation (4.9x).
• No significant association was found between OPN levels and the need for RRT.

Conclusions:

• Higher serum Osteopontin (OPN) levels are linked to increased mortality and mechanical ventilation requirements in COVID-19 patients.
• OPN demonstrates potential as an independent prognostic factor for adverse outcomes in COVID-19.
• The clinical utility of OPN for patient triage in COVID-19 warrants further evaluation.