Presença de Autoanticorpos em Pacientes Internados por Covid-19 em um Hospital Universitário

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.94724191119

• Palavras-chave: SARS-Cov, autoimunidade, anticorpos antinucleares (ANA).

• Keywords: SARS-Cov, autoimmunity, antinuclear antibodies

• Abstract: Introduction: The infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the most pathogenic member of the coronavirus family, significantly impacts the health of individuals affected by the disease, and autoantibodies are involved in the severity of the disease. Objectives: In this study, indirect immunofluorescence analysis of the presence of autoantibodies in patients admitted with a diagnosis of COVID-19 during 2021 at a highly complex hospital located in Western Paraná was carried out. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and uncontrolled study carried out through a review of medical records and serological analysis of patients. The project was submitted and approved by the Ethics and Research Committee on Human Beings of the State University of Western Paraná (UNIOESTE) under opinion number 4,517,274. The presence of autoantibodies was determined using the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test. HEp-2 cells were used, and reactivity was assessed by indirect immunofluorescence. Data from the patients' medical records (gender, age, length of stay) were cataloged in a specific spreadsheet. Results: In total, 52 samples from patients admitted (26 patients) to the hospital's COVID-19 isolation wards were analyzed. Among the patients analyzed, half were female (p>0.05), with a mean age of 59.92±18.66 years (p>0.05). Regarding length of stay, the majority (73.08%) spent less than 30 days in the hospital (p=0.019), with 8 (30.77%) dying (p=0.049). Of the samples analyzed, 3 were positive for ANA, two were from the same patient, one was collected on admission, and the other was collected 5 days later (p<0.0001). Conclusion: The analysis of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANAs) revealed a low incidence, with only 3 positive samples, differing from other studies that found higher quantities. The detection of autoantibodies in recovered patients highlights the importance of understanding immunological mechanisms and the need for additional investigations to guide future therapeutic strategies.