Clinical Characteristics and Risk Prediction Score in Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019 in...

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Critical Care Medicine
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused significant global mortality.
• Assessing the need for critical care hospitalization for COVID-19 patients in non-intensive care settings is crucial.
• A reliable severity prediction score is needed for effective patient triage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a severity prediction score for critical care triage in COVID-19 patients.
• To identify key clinical and biochemical markers associated with severe COVID-19 requiring high oxygen support.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 368 mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients admitted to Fussa Hospital (April 2020-February 2022).
• Definition of a high-oxygen group requiring ≥4 L/min of oxygen.
• Construction of a risk prediction score using multivariable logistic regression and stepwise selection.

Main Results:

• Older age (≥70 years), elevated creatine kinase (≥127 U/L), C-reactive protein (≥2.19 mg/dL), and ferritin (≥632.7 ng/mL) were independent risk factors for high oxygen requirement.
• The Fussa score was developed, assigning points to each risk factor.
• Patients with a Fussa score ≥2 (high-risk) had a significantly worse prognosis compared to those with a score <2 (low-risk).

Conclusions:

• The Fussa score effectively identifies COVID-19 patients at high risk for critical care hospitalization.
• This score can aid clinicians in triage decisions for patients with coronavirus disease 2019.
• The Fussa score offers a practical tool for resource allocation in managing COVID-19 patients.