A Hospital-based Study to Assess Various Laboratory Parameters for Prediction of Severity of COVID-19 Disease at the Time of Admission at a Teaching Tertiary Hospital

Abstract

Abstract Background: The main aim of this study was to determine the association between various laboratory parameter values at the time of admission with the severity classification of COVID-19 infection. Secondarily, this study also determined the cutoff value of associated laboratory parameters with the severity of infection at the time of admission. This study evaluated the association of laboratory parameters and other factors with the severity of COVID-19 infection (mild, moderate, and severe). Methodology: This study analyzed 170 adult patients with symptomatic COVID-19 infection hospitalized between July 2020 and December 2020 at a teaching tertiary care center in South Gujarat. All the patients selected in the study had a positive polymerase chain reaction test result of SARS-CoV-2. Laboratory parameters and clinical details of patients were recorded. Results: A total of 170 COVID-19-infected hospitalized patients were analyzed. The serum ferritin levels were 1.12 times higher in severe patients compared to mild category patients and 1.006 times higher in severe patients compared to moderate category patients, as determined using multinomial logistic regression. The requirement of invasive positive pressure ventilation (IPPV), BIPAP, and nonrebreathing mask at admission was substantially linked with patients in the severe and moderate categories (P < 0.0001). Compared to the mild category, the need for IPPV was 534.9 (95% confidence interval [CI]: [21.93–13022.20]) times greater in the severe category, and 50.41 (95% CI: [3.034–837.55]) times higher in the severe individuals. In addition, this study also evaluated the cutoff value for serum ferritin was identified at ≤276.35 ng/mL for mild, 276.35–473.5 ng/mL for moderate, and ≥473.5 as severe COVID-19 infection at the time of admission. Conclusion: Early ferritin estimation could be used to assess the severity and categorization of COVID-19 infection at the time of admission itself and can be of immense benefit in the treatment of the disease.