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Advanced Neurology

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Blood serum biomarkers in the dynamics of

treatment for cerebrovascular pathology in
post-COVID-19 patients

Victoria V. Sokolik* , Victoria V. Bokatueva , and Vladyslav M. Mishchenko

Institute of Neurology, Psychiatry and Narcology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of
Ukraine, Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine

Abstract

Neurological manifestations after COVID-19 infections can be attributed to chronic
immune and inflammatory reactions induced by SARS-CoV-2, as well as endothelial
dysfunction and other vascular issues. This study included 24 patients with
cerebrovascular disease (CVD) who had contracted COVID-19 1 – 1.5 years before the
examination (experimental group) and 20 patients with CVD who had not previously
been infected with the coronavirus (comparison group). Both groups were representative
in terms of age and gender. Blood serum biomarkers, including interleukin (IL)-6,
endothelin-1 (ET-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), were tested
before and after a 14-day standard complex therapy in the hospital at our institute using
appropriate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reagent kits. Increases in the levels
of IL-6 (by 20%), ET-1 (by 200%), and VEGF-A (by 100%) were observed in patients with
CVD who had contracted COVID-19 1 – 1.5 years earlier compared to the comparison
*Corresponding author: group. The effectiveness of a 2-week therapeutic intervention in patients with a history
Victoria Sokolik
(v.sokolik67@gmail.com) of COVID-19 was found only for VEGF-A: its serum level decreased twofold, leading to
the normalization of this indicator. The concentrations of IL-6 and ET-1 were not affected
Citation: Sokolik VV, by the treatment. In addition, the serum levels of ET-1 and VEGF-A in unvaccinated
Bokatueva VV, Mishchenko VM.
Blood serum biomarkers in individuals exceeded those in vaccinated patients.
the dynamics of treatment for
cerebrovascular pathology in post-
COVID-19 patients. Adv Neuro. Keywords: Cerebrovascular disease; COVID-19; Interleukin-6; Endothelin-1; VEGF-A;
2024;3(2):2878. Treatment
doi: 10.36922/an.2878
Received: February 2, 2024
Accepted: June 18, 2024
1. Introduction
Published Online: June 27, 2024
Never before has a virus been so strongly associated with an increased risk of acute
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
1
This is an Open-Access article cerebrovascular disease (CVD) as in the case of the human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
distributed under the terms of the Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 may result from immune and inflammatory
Creative Commons Attribution responses induced by SARS-CoV-2. Approximately 37% of patients infected with
2
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, SARS-CoV-2 experience neurological problems, with more than 30% reporting
3,4
provided the original work is neurological and even neuropsychiatric issues. The inflammatory response to infection
properly cited. involves inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, culminating in vascular events such
5
Publisher’s Note: AccScience as ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. The temporal association between stroke
Publishing remains neutral with and SARS-CoV-2 is similar to that between influenza and stroke, with a high early risk
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional that likely decreases over time. However, the risk of stroke is several times higher with
6
affiliations SARS-CoV-2 than with influenza. This elevated risk is multifactorial, considering
Volume 3 Issue 2 (2024) 1 doi: 10.36922/an.2878