Inflammatory biomarkers in pregnant women with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus disease 2019 is a pandemic viral disease affecting also obstetric patients and uncertainties exist about the prognostic role of inflammatory biomarkers and hemocytometry values in patients with this infection. To clarify that, we assessed the values of several inflammatory biomarkers and hemocytometry variables in a cohort of obstetric patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 and we correlated the values at admission with the need of oxygen supplementation during the hospitalization. Overall, among 27 (61%) pregnant women and 17 (39%) post-partum women, 6 (14%) patients received oxygen supplementation and 2 (4%) required admission to intensive care unit but none died. During hospitalization neutrophils (p=0.002), neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (p=0.037) and C reactive protein (p<0.001) decreased significantly, whereas lymphocytes (p<0.001) and platelets (p<0.001) increased. Leukocytes and lymphocytes values at admission were correlated with oxygen need, with respectively a 1% and 5% higher risk of oxygen supplementation for each 1,000 cells decrease. Overall, in obstetric patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019, C reactive protein is the inflammatory biomarker that better mirrors the course of the disease whereas D-dimer or ferritin are not reliable predictors of poor outcome. Care to the need of oxygen supplementation should be reserved to patients with reduced leukocytes or lymphocytes values at admission.