This meta-analysis of 25 studies encompassing 1,245 patients with severe or critical COVID-19 found that average interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels (36.7 pg/mL) were significantly lower than those observed in cytokine release syndrome (3,110.5 pg/mL), sepsis (983.6 pg/mL), and non-COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (460 pg/mL). These findings question the characterization of
