Natural Course of COVID-19 and Independent Predictors of Mortality

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, several biomarkers were shown to be helpful in determining the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic value of N-terminal pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-pro-BNP) in a cohort of patients with COVID-19.

One-hundred and seven patients admitted to the Covid Hospital of Messina University between June 2022 and January 2023 were enrolled in our study. The demographic, clinical, biochemical, instrumental, and therapeutic parameters were recorded. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. A comparison between patients who recovered and were discharged and those who died during the hospitalization was performed. The independent parameters associated with in-hospital death were assessed by multivariable analysis and a stepwise regression logistic model.

A total of 27 events with an in-hospital mortality rate of 25.2% occurred during our study. Those who died during hospitalization were older, with lower GCS and PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio, elevated D-dimer values, INR, creatinine values and shorter PT (prothrombin time). They had an increased frequency of diagnosis of heart failure (p < 0.0001) and higher NT-pro-BNP values. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher NT-pro-BNP values and lower PT and PaO₂/FiO₂ at admission were independent predictors of mortality during hospitalization.

This study shows that NT-pro-BNP levels, PT, and PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio are independently associated with in-hospital mortality in subjects with COVID-19 pneumonia. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm the results of this study.