This study found that admission C-reactive protein (CRP) correlated with disease severity and tended to be a good predictor of adverse outcome.
- Data of COVID-19 patients with clinical outcome in a designated hospital in Wuhan, China, were retrospectively collected and analyzed from Jan 30 to Feb 20, 2020
- Out of 298 patients enrolled, 84 died and 214 recovered. Most non-survivors tended to be males, old aged, or with chronic diseases
- Compared to survivors, non-survivors showed significantly elevated:
- White blood cell and neutrophil count
- Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR)
- Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII, defined by platelet count multiply by NLR)
- CRP
- Procalcitonin
- D-dimer
- Compared to survivors, non-survivors showed decreased:
- Decreased red blood cell
- Lymphocytes
- Platelet count
- Age, neutrophil count, platelet count, and CRP were identified as independent predictors of adverse outcome, including in sub-group analyses of those with severe or critical illness
- Patients with markedly elevated admission CRP should be closely monitored, as this value performs well in discriminating disease severity and predicting adverse outcome in patients with COVID-19.
