Predicting Severity and Outcome of Covid-19 Infection Using Blood Parameters Estimated at the Time of Hospital Admission: A Retrospective Study

IntroductionCertain blood parameters can help in assessing the prognosis and severity of Covid-19 infection which can help in risk stratification on presentation to healthcare facilities. This study thus elicited the predictors of severe outcomes of Covid-19 among patients by measuring certain blood parameters at the time of admission. MethodologyThis retrospective study collected secondary data of 559 patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital in West Bengal during November 2020 to February 2022. Severity of Covid-19 infection was assessed using CURB-65 scoring. Factors associated were analyzed using Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression analysis. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine the predictability of disease severity and in-hospital outcomes using hematological parameters. ResultsMedian age of the study participants was 54 years (IQR=66-42 years), males comprised 63% of the participants. Both Neutrophil-Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and d-NLR had almost high sensitivity, low specificity and predictability for disease severity and outcome ofinfection. Lymphocyte-monocyte ratio was found to be significantly associated with disease severity and outcome. Thrombocytopenia was common in severe patients requiring ICU admission. ConclusionComplete hemogram at the time of presentation to the health facility can act as simple and effective tool to assess the disease severity and prognosis of Covid-19 infection.