Nutritional status is closely related to the severity of COVID-19: a multi-center retrospective study.

Li, Yang; Zhu, Chuanwu; Zhang, Biao; Liu, Longgen; Ji, Fang; Zhao, Yun; Cheng, Juan; Shao, Huaping; Guan, Xinying; Ming, Fang; Wu, Chao; Du, Zhi Xiang

INTRODUCTION Nutritional status has been defined as an individual's health condition. The relationship between the progression of COVID-19 and Nutritional status is still unclear. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of 342 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, and analyzed the relationship between the progression of COVID-19 and Nutritional status. METHODOLOGY 342 COVID-19 were enrolled from ten different hospitals in China. The clinical characteristics were collected and analyzed. RESULTS The body mass index (BMI) of the mild patients (Group A) was higher than those in severe patients (Group B) and critical patients (Group C); The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level of Group A was lower than those of the other two groups; Sex, age, and BMI, was strongly correlated with Clinical classification (CT); Among the laboratory test results, Neutrophil (NEU%), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), LDH, and blood glucose (BG) were positively correlated with CT; Lymphocyte ( LYM%), Platelet (PLT), Albumin (ALB), and Creatinine (Cr) were negatively correlated with CT. BMI, NEU%, LYM%, ALB, Cr, and PLT are all protective factors that affect CT. CONCLUSION People with poor nutritional status (lower BMI and ALB) have a higher risk of developing severe disease after infection with SARS-CoV-2. In the clinical treatment of COVID-19, individualized nutritional support is very important for the rehabilitation of patients.