MIP-C: a new disease related to COVID-19
A significant discovery for global health
A new disease has been discovered and named MIP-C (MDA5 autoimmunity and concurrent interstitial pneumonia with Covid-19). The research leading to this finding was conducted by an international team of researchers led by the University of California and the Department of Rheumatology at the University of Leeds. The discovery, coordinated by Dennis McGonagle of the University of Leeds, was published on the eBioMedicine website associated with the Lancet group. MIP-C is a potentially fatal condition that can develop in individuals infected with the SarsCoV2 virus.
Symptoms and diagnosis of MIP-C
MIP-C is a disease seemingly similar to anti-MDA5 positive dermatomyositis, an autoimmune disease that can cause interstitial pneumonia with pulmonary fibrosis. 25 out of 60 patients analyzed in the study developed pulmonary fibrosis, and 8 of them died from pulmonary fibrosis. MDA5 antibodies attack an enzyme that normally detects the SARS-COV2 virus. This may explain why COVID-19, even in mild form, can be accompanied by a different type of anti-MDA5 positive dermatomyositis, namely MIP-C.
Research and international collaborations
The international team of researchers, led by the University of Leeds and the University of California, San Diego, combined the latest technologically advanced methods to identify this new syndrome. The discovery of interleukin-15 (IL-15) as a causal link, a hallmark of progressive interstitial lung diseases, suggests that the immune response to COVID-19 may produce MIP-C. This is also indicated by the very high levels of IL-15 in the most severe patients. IL-15 is a cytokine capable of causing immune cell depletion and promoting pulmonary fibrosis.
Looking ahead
The discovery of MIP-C has significant implications for public health, suggesting that Covid-19 may have long-term effects that are not yet fully understood. Scholars hope that the recognition of IL-15 as a cause may spur new research into the treatment of this condition. Although large amounts of data confirming the spread of MIP-C outside the UK are still lacking, there are reports of similar symptoms in other regions of the world, indicating that it could be a global phenomenon.
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