S. Z. Hussein¹, M. A. Abdalla²*

¹Clinical Biochemistry Unit, Salah Aldeen Health Directorate, Tikrit, Iraq;
²Department of Human Anatomy, Tikrit University College of Medicine, Tikrit, Iraq;
*e-mail: dr.mohammad68@tu.edu.iq

Received: 04 April 2021; Accepted: 12 November 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic occurred and quickly spread throughout the world. To improve the state of COVID-19 patients, it is important to identify the possible clinical differential diagnostic markers and their correlation with the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, the serum level of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in the serum of COVID-19 patients were analyzed. Blood samples were collected from 60 patients who attended Isolated Hospital in Tikrit City/Iraq from September to December 2020 and diagnosed by RT-PCR as COVID-19 positive and from 30 healthy individuals. It was shown that COVID-19 patients revealed high serum levels of α-MSH as compared with healthy individuals but low serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium which may be recommended as supplements for those patients to increase the innate immune response.