Biochemical parameters and blood count of patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 in intensive care at a basic hospital in Ecuador

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 infection occurs mainly in mild and severe forms, the latter requiring hospitalization and respiratory support due to complications such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the clinical course of which has been widely described;however, the alteration of laboratory profiles has not been precisely established. A retrospective study was carried out to determine biochemical parameters and blood counts in 32 patients with moderate and severe COVID-19, confined at the "Raul Maldonado Mejia" Basic Hospital in Cayambe, Ecuador, and to evaluate their usefulness as indicators of severity. Medical records were reviewed., obtaining clinical, biochemical and hematometric data. A higher proportion of moderate and severe COVID cases was observed in men, and the severe form in both genders, with an average age between 45-73 years. The most frequent comorbidities were arterial hypertension (HTA), type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), congestive heart failure (CHF) and obesity. The biochemical and blood count parameters with the worst prognosis for severity were elevation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, prothrombin time (PT) prolonged, total leukocyte count, ne index utrophil/lymphocyte (INL) and decreased lymphocytes. Biochemical parameters (LDH, CRP, ALT, AST), coagulation (PT) and blood counts (leukocyte count, lymphocytes and INL) can be useful indicators of severity in patients with COVID-19, allowing early identification of patients with moderate disease and avoid the development of the most severe form of the disease and its complications.