The Onset of Antinuclear Antibodies (ANAs) as a Potential Risk Factor for Mortality and Morbidity in COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study
Giuseppe Stefano Netti,
Piera Soccio,
Valeria Catalano,
Federica De Luca,
Javeria Khalid,
Valentina Camporeale,
Giorgia Moriondo,
Massimo Papale,
Giulia Scioscia,
Gaetano Corso,
Maria Pia Foschino,
Sergio Lo Caputo,
Donato Lacedonia,
Elena Ranieri
Affiliations
Giuseppe Stefano Netti
Unit of Clinical Pathology, Advanced Research Center on Kidney Aging (A.R.K.A.), Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Piera Soccio
Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Valeria Catalano
Unit of Clinical Pathology, Advanced Research Center on Kidney Aging (A.R.K.A.), Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Federica De Luca
Unit of Clinical Pathology, Advanced Research Center on Kidney Aging (A.R.K.A.), Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Javeria Khalid
Unit of Clinical Pathology, Advanced Research Center on Kidney Aging (A.R.K.A.), Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Valentina Camporeale
Unit of Clinical Pathology, Advanced Research Center on Kidney Aging (A.R.K.A.), Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Giorgia Moriondo
Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Massimo Papale
Unit of Clinical Pathology, Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, University Hospital “Policlinico Riuniti”, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Giulia Scioscia
Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Gaetano Corso
Unit of Clinical Pathology, Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, University Hospital “Policlinico Riuniti”, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Maria Pia Foschino
Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Sergio Lo Caputo
Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Donato Lacedonia
Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Elena Ranieri
Unit of Clinical Pathology, Advanced Research Center on Kidney Aging (A.R.K.A.), Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
The immune system’s amplified response to SARS-CoV-2 may lead to the production of autoantibodies, but their specific impact on disease severity and outcome remains unclear. This study aims to assess if hospitalized COVID-19 patients face a worse prognosis based on ANA presence, even without autoimmune diseases. We performed a retrospective, single-center, observational cohort study, enrolling 638 COVID-19 patients hospitalized from April 2020 to March 2021 at Hospital “Policlinico Riuniti” of Foggia (Italy). COVID-19 patients with a positive ANA test exhibited a significantly lower 30-day survival rate (64.4% vs. 83.0%) and a higher likelihood of severe respiratory complications during hospitalization than those with negative ANA screening (35.4% vs. 17.0%) (p p p p < 0.001). In summary, ANA positivity in COVID-19 patients appears to be linked to a more aggressive disease phenotype with a reduced survival rate. Furthermore, we propose that the HALP score could serve as a valuable parameter to assess prognosis for COVID-19 patients.
