EXPRESS: Serum biomarkers for prediction of mortality in patients with COVID-19.

Loomba, Rohit S; Villarreal, Enrique G; Farias, Juan S; Aggarwal, Gaurav; Aggarwal, Saurabh; Flores, Saul

BackgroundThere is limited information regarding the role of biomarker levels at predicting mortality in patients with the novel coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in serum biomarker levels in adults with Covid-19 who survived hospitalization from those who did not.MethodsA comprehensive search was completed on PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane libraries to identify studies of interest. Endpoints of interest were blood counts, hepatic function test, acute phase reactants, cytokines and cardiac biomarkers.ResultsA total of 10 studies with 1,584 patients were included in the pooled analyses. Biomarkers that were noted to be significantly higher in those who died from Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) included: white blood cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, ferritin, D-dimer, interleukins 6, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, prothrombin time, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and creatinine. Lymphocyte count, platelet count, and albumin were significantly lower in patients who died. ConclusionThis pooled analysis of 10 studies including 1,584 patients identified significant differences in biomarkers on admission in patients who survived from those who did not. Further research is needed to develop risk stratification models to help with judicious use of limited healthcare resources.