C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio as a Prognostic Inflammatory Marker in COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Medical laboratory diagnostics
• Infectious diseases
• Inflammation markers

Background:

• Generalized inflammation is a key factor in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a major complication in severe COVID-19 cases.
• Identifying reliable laboratory tests is crucial for COVID-19 patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify laboratory tests for diagnosing and monitoring COVID-19 patients.
• To compare laboratory findings between COVID-19 confirmed, unconfirmed, and control groups.
• To evaluate acute-phase reactants and biomarkers for disease severity and inflammation.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 102 patients (56 COVID-19 positive, 46 negative, 30 controls).
• Utilized complete blood count parameters, C-reactive protein, and calculated ratios (NLR, PLR, CAR).
• Statistical analysis included t-tests, Mann-Whitney U-test, and ROC curve analysis for biomarker cut-offs.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in complete blood count parameters between COVID-19 positive and other groups.
• Elevated C-reactive protein, NLR, PLR, and CAR indices in COVID-19 patients, particularly in severe cases.
• The C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) showed high diagnostic accuracy (89.29%) with optimal cutoff at 0.475.

Conclusions:

• The CAR index is a highly predictive biomarker for COVID-19 diagnosis and severity assessment.
• CAR demonstrates superior diagnostic value compared to other evaluated markers.
• Laboratory markers, especially CAR, aid in the clinical management and prognosis of COVID-19.