Predictors of COVID-19 severity: A literature review.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a rapidly evolving global emergency that continues to strain healthcare systems. Emerging research describes a plethora of patient factors-including demographic, clinical, immunologic, hematological, biochemical, and radiographic findings-that may be of utility to clinicians to predict COVID-19 severity and mortality. We present a synthesis of the current literature pertaining to factors predictive of COVID-19 clinical course and outcomes. Findings associated with increased disease severity and/or mortality include age > 55 years, multiple pre-existing comorbidities, hypoxia, specific computed tomography findings indicative of extensive lung involvement, diverse laboratory test abnormalities, and biomarkers of end-organ dysfunction. Hypothesis-driven research is critical to identify the key evidence-based prognostic factors that will inform the design of intervention studies to improve the outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and to appropriately allocate scarce resources.

Disseminated Mucormycosis with Positive Aspergillus Galactomannan.

We describe a case of disseminated mucormycosis (Apophysomyces elegans) diagnosed on autopsy, in a man who had been working in construction with undiagnosed neutropenia from hairy-cell leukemia, which is rarely associated with invasive mold infections. Galactomannan values in both blood and bronchoalveolar lavage were strongly positive. There is an unmet need for accurate noninvasive fungal diagnostic tests. Detailed history, including occupational exposures, can be more informative than laboratory workup.