Biclonal gammopathay in a case of severe COVID-19

• Published in: Clinica chimica acta 2020-12, Vol.511, p.342-345
• Main Authors: Vashistha, Pooja, Gupta, Ajay Kumar, Arya, Mona, Kumar Singh, Vijay, Dubey, Abhishek, Chandra Koner, Bidhan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case Report; COVID-19 - blood; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - diagnosis; Cytokine Release Syndrome - blood; Cytokine Release Syndrome - complications; Cytokine Release Syndrome - diagnosis; Fatal Outcome; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance - blood; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance - complications; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance - diagnosis; SARS-CoV-2; Severity of Illness Index
• ISSN: 0009-8981; 1873-3492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2020.10.040

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a coronavirus named as SARS-CoV-2. It has become pandemic due to its contagious nature. Majority of the patients are asymptomatic or having mild flu like symptoms. Few need hospitalisation due to severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Co-morbidity like diabetes, hypertension, renal failure etc. are associated with severe COVID-19 that often causes death. There have been only two published case reports of monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) in patients with COVID-19 disease. Cytokine storm is often observed in severe COVID-19 and various cytokines including IL-6 that activates plasma cells are increased in blood in this condition. Here we present a case of severe COVID-19 patient with bioclonal gammopathy. He was known diabetic and hypertensive on treatment. He developed SARI, cytokines storm and septicaemia, treated with antibiotics, enoxaparin, hydroxychloroquine, insulin, anti-hypertensives, put on ventilator, subsequently developed septicaemia, multi-organ failure and died. Two M-bands on serum capillary electrophoresis with presence IgG-κ on both the M-bands indicates a biclonal gammopathy of unknown significance in this patient. We conclude that like MGUS, early stage biclonal gammopathy, although rare, gets manifested with M-bands on plasma protein electrophoresis. It is probably due to high level of IL-6 associated with cytokine storm in severe COVID-19 that stimulate early stage dyscratic plasma cells. Such biclonal gammopathy might be a risk factor for severe COVID-19 and associated mortality.