Inflammatory markers and COVID-19 disease progression

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a global humanitarian crisis. Despite ongoing research, transmission risks and many disease characteristics remained unclear. Most patients have displayed elevated levels of certain inflammatory markers, which we sought to investigate further in relation to disease severity. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between inflammatory markers and the severity of COVID-19 among patients.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from April to September 2020, involving 143 COVID-19 PCR-positive patients from Ziauddin Hospital. Electronic patient records provided data on demographics, clinical status, and laboratory results.

Results: The majority of PCR-positive patients were elderly males with comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. Almost all patients exhibited increased levels of various inflammatory markers, with procalcitonin (97.2%) being the most common. Statistically significant differences were observed in the levels of TLC (p = 0.005), CRP (p = 0.001), LDH (p = 0.001), Ferritin (p = 0.001), D-dimer (p = 0.001), and procalcitonin (p = 0.028), in relation to COVID-19 severity.

Conclusions: The data suggest a significant association between levels of inflammatory markers and COVID-19 severity. All markers, except procalcitonin, demonstrated a significant correlation with disease severity. These results could enhance our understanding of COVID-19 pathogenesis and help predict and manage severe cases.

Keywords: COVID-19; CRP; Inflammatory; LDH; Markers; Pandemic.