Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 18, 2025
High Throughput Sequential ELISA for Validation of Biomarkers of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Published on: October 31, 2012
Gamma-glutamyl-transferase may predict COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalised patients
Benan Kasapoglu1, Ahmet Yozgat2, Alpaslan Tanoglu3
1Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Lokman Hekim University, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Liver function tests, including creatinine and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), along with D-dimer levels upon hospital admission, can predict intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality in COVID-19 patients. These readily available and inexpensive tests aid in early risk stratification.
Area of Science:
- * Internal Medicine
- * Infectious Diseases
- * Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- * COVID-19, a global pandemic, presents a wide spectrum of clinical severity.
- * Predictive markers for severe outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients are crucial for resource allocation and patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To determine the predictive value of liver function tests (LFTs) on hospital admission for COVID-19 patient outcomes.
- * To identify laboratory markers that predict the need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality.
Main Methods:
- * A multicentric retrospective study involving 269 hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients.
- * Data collected included demographics, medical history, and laboratory findings at admission.
- * Patients were categorized based on ICU admission during hospitalization.
Main Results:
- * Older age was associated with both ICU admission and mortality (P < .001).
- * Elevated serum D-dimer, creatinine, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels at admission independently predicted ICU hospitalization.
- * These same elevated markers also predicted mortality in COVID-19 patients.
Conclusions:
- * Admission laboratory markers, including creatinine, GGT, and D-dimer, are significant predictors of ICU need and mortality in COVID-19.
- * The accessibility and low cost of these tests facilitate their use in developing predictive formulas.
- * Early identification of high-risk patients using these parameters can optimize intensive care resource utilization.
Aim:
In this study, we aimed to define the predictive role of liver function tests at admission to the hospital in outcomes of hospitalised patients with COVID-19.
Material And Method:
In this multicentric retrospective study, a total of 269 adult patients (≥18 years of age) with confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalised for the treatment were enrolled. Demographic features, complete medical history and laboratory findings of the study participants at admission were obtained from the medical records. Patients were grouped regarding their intensive care unit (ICU) requirements during their hospitalisation periods.
Results:
Among all 269 participants, 106 were hospitalised in the ICU and 66 died. The patients hospitalised in ICU were older than patients hospitalised in wards (P = .001) and expired patients were older than alive patients (P = .001). Age, elevated serum D-dimer, creatinine and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels at admission were independent factors predicting ICU hospitalisation and mortality in COVID-19 patients.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, in hospitalised patients with COVID-19, laboratory data on admission, including serum, creatinine, GGT and d-dimer levels have an important predictive role for the ICU requirement and mortality. Since these tests are readily available in all hospitals and inexpensive, some predictive formulas may be calculated with these parameters at admission, to define the patients requiring intensive care.
