A Step Towards Predicting Severe Covid-19

Researchers affiliated with NYU Langone Health in New York recently published the findings of a study that looked into a blood test that could predict the development of severe Covid-19.

Published in the Life Science Alliance journal, the study looked into the dynamic of a type of blood test that gauges antibody levels in the blood that work against molecules released by dead blood cells that include DNA. Basically, the test is a measure that aims to predict or foresee the progression of a Covid-19 case.

The researchers analyzed the blood samples of 115 individuals admitted to hospitals because of Covid-19 in 2020. Around half of the study’s sample size had severe bouts with the disease, while the rest had generally recovered well.

It was found that individuals with high levels of phosphatidylserine (antibodies that are directed against fatty molecules from cell membranes or DNA) had a 90 percent chance of deteriorating from the disease. However, analysis of the test’s findings showed that it only identified around a quarter of those who went thorough severe Covid-19.

The study is still unclear whether the antibodies detected by the test are active contributors to a Covid-19 case’s deterioration, but its proponents hypothesize that the antibodies may contribute to the formation of tiny blood clots in the body by binding to DNA, thereby cause severe Covid-19.

As it is, the study’s findings on the blood test have been taken as a possible step towards predicting the progression of a Covid-19 case.