Comparison of inflammatory markers in COVID-19 patients- a study based on disease severity groups.

Objectives: To compare different inflammatory markers in various coronavirus disease 2019 severity groups. METHODS: The cross-sectional, retrospective, comparative study was conducted at the Central Park Teaching Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised data from April to June 2021 of coronavirus disease 2019 inpatients. The data was divided into mild, moderate and severe/critical category using the World Health Organisation interim guidelines. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: Of the 50 patients, 29(58%) were males and 21(42%) were females. The overall mean age was 54.12±21.23 years. The mean age was 62±17.1years in critical group compared to 50±19.7 years in mild and 52±15.9 years in moderate groups. There were 8(16%) patients in the mild group, 16(32%) in the moderate group and 26(52%) in the critical severity group. Mortality was the outcome in overall 19(38%) cases, and 14(73.7%) of them were in the critical group (p=0.03). C reactive protein, interleukin-6, serum ferritin and D-dimer levels were significantly different among the groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Older people were found to have experienced coronavirus disease 2019 in more severe forms. The inflammatory markers were significantly high in patients with severe disease and were associated with high mortality.

Hematological findings in COVID-19 and their correlation with severity of Disease.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of hematological parameters to predict severity of COVID-19 patients. Method: This was a cross-sectional comparative study conducted at Central Park Teaching Hospital, Lahore in COVID ward and COVID ICU between April 23, 2021 to June 23, 2021. Patients of all ages and both genders with positive PCR admitted in the COVID ward and ICU during this time span of two months were included in the study. Data was collected retrospectively. Results: This study included 50 patients with male to female ratio of 1.38:1. Though males are more affected by COVID-19 but the difference is not statistically significant. The mean age of the study population was 56.21 and the patients in the severe disease group have higher age. It was observed that in severe/critical group the mean values of total leukocyte count 21.76×103 µI (p-value= 0.002), absolute neutrophil count 71.37% (p-value=0.045), neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) 12.80 (p-value=0.00) and PT 11.9 seconds (p-value=0.034) and the difference was statistically significant. While in severe/critical group, the mean values of hemoglobin 12.03g/dl (p-value=0.075), lymphocyte count 28.41% (p-value=0.8), platelet count 226×103 µI (p-value=0.67) and APTT 30.7 (p-value=0.081) and the difference was not significantly different between groups. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the study that total leucocyte count, absolute neutrophil count and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio can predict in-hospital mortality and morbidity in COVID-19 patients.