Immunoglobulins in COVID-19 pneumonia: from the acute phase to the recovery phase
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Updated: Jun 29, 2025
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Published on: June 5, 2021
Joaquim Peraire1,2,3,4, Graciano García-Pardo1,2,3,4, Silvia Chafino1,3
1Hospital Universitari de Tarragona Joan XXIII (HJ23), Tarragona, Spain.
Background:
COVID-19 pneumonia causes hyperinflammatory response that culminates in acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS) related to increased multiorgan dysfunction and mortality risk. Antiviral-neutralizing immunoglobulins production reflect the host humoral status and illness severity, and thus, immunoglobulin (Ig) circulating levels could be evidence of COVID-19 prognosis.
Methods:
The relationship among circulating immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM) and COVID-19 pneumonia was evaluated using clinical information and blood samples in a COVID-19 cohort composed by 320 individuals recruited during the acute phase and followed up to 4 to 8 weeks (n = 252) from the Spanish first to fourth waves.
Results:
COVID-19 pneumonia development depended on baseline Ig concentrations. Circulating IgA levels together with clinical features at acute phase was highly associated with COVID-19 pneumonia development. IgM was positively correlated with obesity (ρb = 0.156, P = 0.020), dyslipemia (ρb = 0.140, P = 0.029), COPD (ρb = 0.133, P = 0.037), cancer (ρb = 0.173, P = 0.007) and hypertension (ρb = 0.148, P = 0.020). Ig concentrations at recovery phase were related to COVID-19 treatments.
Conclusions:
Our results provide valuable information on the dynamics of immunoglobulins upon SARS-CoV-2 infection or other similar viruses.
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