Prospects for studying the role of some essential and toxic trace elements in the pathogenesis of COVID-19

Introduction. Factors affecting the severity of the course of a new coronavirus infection remain unexplored to the endAim. To study the factors associated with the transition of COVID-19 from moderate to severe form of the disease in patients undergoing inpatient treatmentMaterials and methods. The diagnosis of COVID-19-associated pneumonia was made by a clinician on the basis of PCR test data and an up-to-date chest CT scan. A total of 195 consecutively recruited patients were examined. The average age of the surveyed was 54 (12.1) years.Results. Significantly more patients with severe coronavirus infection at the time of hospitalization were active tobacco smokers (33 (29.73%) vs 67 (79.6%); p < 0.002) and had a BMI consistent with pre-obesity/obesity (42 (37.84%) vs 44 (52.38%); p = 0.027). In patients with severe COVID-19, a significantly higher content of leukocytes was noted in the complete blood count (6.054 (2.813) vs 7.307 (4.707); p = 0.021). The groups also differed significantly in the content of micro- and macroelements. The imbalance of minerals revealed in our study is published for the first time, because. The study of the content of Al, B, Li, Co, Sr and Si in patients with COVID-19 was not carried out.Conclusion. The revealed changes in the microelement status require further study to confirm their significance in the development of a severe form of a new coronavirus infection in patients.