摘要：SummaryIt is unclear why COVID-19 ranges from asymptomatic to severe. When SARS-CoV-2 is detected, interferon (IFN) response is activated. When it is insufficient or delayed, it might lead to overproduction of cytokines and severe COVID-19. The aim was to compare cytokine and IFN patterns in children and adults with differing severity with SARS-CoV-2.It was a prospective, observational study, including 84 patients. Patients with moderate/severe disease had higher cytokines' values than patients with mild disease (p< 0.001).Two IFN genes were selected to build a decision tree for severity classification:SOCS1(representative of the rest of the IFN genes) andCIITA(inverse correlation). Low values ofCIITAand high values ofSOCS1indicated severe disease. This method correctly classified 33/38(86.8%) of children and 27/34 (79.4%) of adults.To conclude, patients with severe disease had an elevated cytokine pattern, which correlated with the IFN response, with lowCIITAand highSOCS1values.Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights•Interferon response seems to be pivotal for the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection•When interferon response is deregulated, it leads to an overproduction of cytokines•Patients with severe COVID-19 had elevated cytokines, linked to interferon response•LowCIITAand highSOCS1values were indicative of severe diseaseImmunology; Virology
