IL-6 and COVID-19
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Norton Healthcare did not offer in-house IL-6 testing, as they did not have an appreciable send-out volume. However, in mid-to-late March, as COVID-19 started to progress, Dr. Joshua Hayden and his team discussed standard COVID-19 laboratory tests with the Norton Healthcare leadership team.
Based on data and literature from China, albeit preliminary and not peer-reviewed, the Norton Healthcare team saw strong support of elevated levels of IL-6 as a portent of poor outcomes for COVID-19 patients. IL-6 was seen as a way to stratify patients under intensive therapy.