Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of testican-1 in patients diagnosed with Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and to investigate its potential utility in predicting disease severity and clinical progression. Testican-1, a proteoglycan with known associations with sepsis and central nervous system damage, was hypothesized to serve as a biomarker for severe cases.
Material and Methods: The study was conducted between September 15 and October 15, 2020, at University of Health Sciences Türkiye, Kayseri City Hospital, a designated pandemic center. A total of 89 patients with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses were included. Patients were classified as moderate or severe based on clinical criteria. Serum testican-1 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Routine biochemical parameters, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin, D-dimer, and other inflammatory markers, were analyzed.
Results: Testican-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with severe disease and admitted to intensive care units compared to moderate cases (p<0.001). However, no statistically significant correlations were found between testican-1 levels and other clinical markers, including CRP, procalcitonin, and D-dimer. A weak positive correlation with lactate levels and, and a weak negative correlation with basophil percentages.
Conclusion: Testican-1 shows promise as a specific biomarker for assessing the severity of COVID-19, potentially aiding clinicians in prognosis and management. While it does not correlate strongly with other inflammatory markers, its distinct association with severe disease underscores its utility.
Keywords: COVID-19, testican-1, biomarker, disease severity, clinical progression
