Biomarkers associated with COVID-19 disease progression

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Biomarker discovery
• Infectious diseases

Background:

• COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) presents unpredictable clinical courses and severe complications.
• Effective laboratory biomarkers are needed to stratify patients by risk for timely intervention.
• Systemic vasculitis and cytokine-mediated coagulation disorders are implicated in multi-organ failure in severe COVID-19.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and review laboratory biomarkers for classifying COVID-19 patient risk.
• To highlight key hematological, inflammatory, immunological, and biochemical markers.
• To explore potential new biomarkers for severe COVID-19.

Main Methods:

• Review of recently published studies on COVID-19 complications.
• Analysis of identified laboratory biomarkers.
• Focus on markers related to coagulation, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Main Results:

• Identified biomarkers include: hematological (lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio), inflammatory (CRP, ESR, PCT), immunological (IL-6), and biochemical (D-dimer, troponin, CK, AST).
• Coagulation cascade markers are particularly relevant for DIC and ARDS.
• Homocysteine and angiotensin II are suggested as potential novel biomarkers.

Conclusions:

• Laboratory biomarkers are essential for managing severe COVID-19.
• Current biomarkers aid in assessing risk for complications like multi-organ failure.
• Further research into novel biomarkers like homocysteine and angiotensin II may improve patient management.