In another study done by Rovas et al., the MYSTIC trial, which analyzed functional and biomarker data from 23 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, determined that circulating VEGF-A and ADAMTS13 levels, also known as von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease, as well as sublingual glycocalyx thickness were the main markers that were associated with disease severity and predictive of whether patients will develop ARDS (Rovas et al., 2021). Here, VEGFA is linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome.