A study on radiological spectrum of coronavirus infectious disease 2019 and its association with serum inflammatory markers and disease outcome

Background: Radiological features and serum inflammatory markers are the areas of interest during coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There is a paucity of literature in this field in India. This was our impetus for this study. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the association of radiological spectrum of COVID-19 with serum inflammatory markers and disease outcome. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional observational study was carried out among COVID-19 patients admitted at a tertiary care center in Eastern India. Data were collected 2 days a week from COVID-19 ward, high dependency unit, and critical care unit. Clinical parameters, inflammatory markers, radiological patterns, and computed tomography (CT) severity index were assessed and were compared to disease severity. The association of inflammatory markers and CT severity index with adverse outcome of disease was analyzed by applying appropriate statistical tests. Results: A total of 180 patients were enrolled – mild, moderate, and severe diseases were seen in 25 (13.9%), 36 (20%), and 119 (66.1%) cases, respectively. Older age was significantly associated with moderate and severe disease. Ground-glass opacity and consolidation were the most common radiological findings. Hypertension and diabetes were the most common comorbidities, and multiple comorbidities were found in 35% of patients. High inflammatory markers and severe CT severity index were significantly associated with disease severity and adverse outcome. There was a significant association between inflammatory markers and CT severity index. Conclusions: CT severity index and inflammatory markers were found to be associated with disease severity and adverse prognosis.