Characteristics and laboratory findings on admission to the emergency department among 2873 hospitalized patients with COVID-19: the impact of adjusted laboratory tests in multicenter studies. A multicenter study in Spain (BIOCOVID-Spain study)

García de Guadiana-Romualdo, Luis; Morell-García, Daniel; Morales-Indiano, Cristian; Bauça, Josep Miquel; Alcaide Martín, María José; Esparza del Valle, Clara; Gutiérrez Revilla, Jose I.; Urrechaga, Eloisa; Álamo, José M.; Hernando Holgado, Ana M.; Lorenzo-Lozano, María-Carmen; Sánchez Fdez-Pacheco, Silvia; de la Hera Cagigal, Patricia; Juncos Tobarra, María A.; Vílchez, Juan A.; Vírseda Chamorro, Isabel; Gutiérrez Garcia, Irene; Pastor Murcia, Yolanda; Sahuquillo Frías, Laura; Altimira Queral, Laura; Nuez-Zaragoza, Elisa; Adell Ruiz de León, Juan; Ruiz Ripa, Alicia; Salas Gómez-Pablos, Paloma; Cebreiros López, Iria; Fernández Uriarte, Amaia; Larruzea, Álex; López Yepes, María L.; Esteban Torrella, Patricia; Zamorano Andrés, María C.; Pedregosa Díaz, Jose; Acevedo Alcaraz, Cristina; Blazquez-Manzanera, Alfonso-L.; Padilla Jiménez, Ana M. L.; Baamonde Calzada, María C.; Vera, Marina; Cháfer Rudilla, Matilde; Canalda Campás, Magdalena; García Muñoz, Sara; Vicente Gutiérrez, Luis; Jiménez Añón, Laura; Pérez Martínez, Alfonso; Pons Castillo, Aurelio; González Tamayo, Ruth; Férriz Vivancos, Jorge; Rodríguez-Fraga, Olaia; Ferrer Díaz de Brito Fernández, Vicente; Aguadero, Vicente; García Arévalo, María G.; Arnaldos Carrillo, María; González Morales, Mercedes; Núñez Gárate, María; Ruiz Iruela, Cristina; Sancho-Rodríguez, Natalia; Vila Pérez, Marti; Egea-Caparrós, José M.; Sáenz, Luis; Blasco Barbero, Álvaro; Galán Ortega, Amparo

Identification of predictors for severe disease progression is key for risk stratification in COVID-19 patients. We aimed to describe the main characteristics and identify the early predictors for severe outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Spain. This was an observational, retrospective cohort study (BIOCOVID-Spain study) including COVID-19 patients admitted to 32 Spanish hospitals. Demographics, comorbidities and laboratory tests were collected. Outcome was in-hospital mortality. For analysis, laboratory tests values were previously adjusted to assure the comparability of results among participants. Cox regression was performed to identify predictors. Study population included 2873 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Nine variables were independent predictors for in-hospital mortality, including creatinine (Hazard ratio [HR]:1.327; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.040-1.695, p = .023), troponin (HR: 2.150; 95% CI: 1.155-4.001; p = .016), platelet count (HR: 0.994; 95% CI: 0.989-0.998; p = .004) and C-reactive protein (HR: 1.037; 95% CI: 1.006-1.068; p = .019). This is the first multicenter study in which an effort was carried out to adjust the results of laboratory tests measured with different methodologies to guarantee their comparability. We reported a comprehensive information about characteristics in a large cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, focusing on the analytical features. Our findings may help to identify patients early at a higher risk for an adverse outcome.