Association of Serum Biomarkers with Outcomes and Treatment Success of Inhaled Hyaluronan in COVID19

Viral pneumonia causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, there is limited ability to predict outcomes and treatment responses. We analyzed data from a recently published placebo-controlled trial of inhaled high molecular weight hyaluronan (HMWHA) in 146 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, to determine whether admission cytokines and demographic information is associated with disease outcomes and response to HMWHA treatment. We found that serum levels of CXCL10 are strongly associated with both endpoints. Our data thus identify CXCL10 as a possible predictor of viral pneumonia outcome and response to anti-inflammatory treatment.