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Hypocalcemia: A key biomarker in hospitalized COVID-19 patients
María Jesús Ruiz-Álvarez1, Emanuela Stampone2, Yaiza Fernández Verduras1
1Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Insights
Low serum calcium (hypocalcemia) is a key indicator of poor prognosis in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, especially those with chronic conditions. This finding highlights calcium
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, emerged in late 2019.
- COVID-19 severity is notably high in adults with chronic health conditions.
- Identifying accessible prognostic biomarkers for hospitalized COVID-19 patients is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify blood biochemical parameters associated with COVID-19 patient outcomes.
- To evaluate the prognostic value of these parameters in patients with pre-existing chronic diseases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of blood biochemical profiles from 511 COVID-19 patients.
- Data collected upon emergency room admission (March-June 2020).
- Considered comorbidities included diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, COPD, obesity, and cancer.
Main Results:
- Serum and ionized calcium levels were frequently altered in the patient cohort.
- Hypocalcemia (low serum calcium) strongly correlated with mechanical ventilation and poor prognosis.
- Hypocalcemia was associated with comorbidities (cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, cancer) and increased clinical complications.
Conclusions:
- Serum calcium concentration is a relevant prognostic biomarker for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- Hypocalcemia serves as a potential indicator of adverse outcomes and complications.
Background:
At the end of 2019 a new respiratory syndrome emerged in China named Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Considering the severity of the disease in adult subjects with one or more chronic pathologies, it was mandatory to find simple and effective biomarkers for negative prognosis of the disease easily available at the admission to the hospital.
Methods:
To identify possible parameters showing association with the outcome in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing chronic diseases, blood biochemical profiles of 511 patients, enrolled from March to June 2020, were retrospectively evaluated. The pathological conditions taken into consideration were diabetes, arterial hypertension, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, and cancer. All the data were collected upon admission to the emergency room (ER) during the indicated period.
Results:
We observed that serum and ionized calcium were prevalently altered in our cohort. We determined that hypocalcemia was a major parameter associated with mechanical ventilation and poor prognosis, correlating also with the presence of comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, and cancer. In addition, we found a positive correlation between hypocalcemia and clinical complications during hospitalizations.
Conclusions:
Our results strengthen the relevance of serum calcium concentration as a useful prognostic biomarker in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
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