Prognostic factors for predicting severity and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Background Coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19, has reached all the corners of the world and was declared by the WHO as a global pandemic and public health emergency of international concern on the January 31, 2020. Allocating quick and specific biomarkers to predict the disease severity upon admission to hospital became a crucial need. This study, therefore, aimed at exploring the relationship between laboratory results in COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital and the final outcome in these patients. Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on the medical records of 310 COVID-19-positive patients admitted to Uhod Hospital, the referral hospital in the area of Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between the April 13 and the July 29, 2020. The association of laboratory results with the survival/mortality outcomes was studied. Results It was demonstrated that lymphopenia, prolonged aPTT, high INR, high D. dimer and high CK are valuable prognostic predictors of the severity of the disease at early stages that can determine the outcome. Based on the results of the multiple logistic regression, the variables that are associated with death outcome are aPTT, HR, RR, ALT and CK level Conclusion It is proposed to perform these tests on admission to hospital for moderate to severe COVID-19 patients to improve the management of those cases and reduce mortality.

Automated summary

This study found that lymphopenia, prolonged aPTT, high INR, high D. dimer, and high CK are valuable predictors of disease severity in COVID-19 patients upon admission to hospital, helping determine the final outcome. It is recommended to conduct these tests on moderate to severe COVID-19 patients for improved case management and reduced mortality.