Dynamic lymphocyte-CRP ratio as a predictor: a single-centre retrospective study on disease severity and progression...

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Medicine
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents a spectrum of severity.
• Accurate assessment of disease severity and progression is crucial for patient management.
• Novel biomarkers are needed to complement existing clinical scoring systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of dynamic changes in the lymphocyte-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) in differentiating COVID-19 disease severity.
• To assess the predictive value of LCR for disease progression in adult COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective single-centre study of 145 adult COVID-19 patients.
• Patients categorized into moderate, severe, and critical groups.
• Lymphocyte count and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels monitored, and LCR calculated at four time points.
• Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores also recorded.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in demographic and clinical data, including LCR and SOFA scores, were observed across severity groups.
• Dynamic LCR changes showed significant differences between severity groups.
• LCR demonstrated a significant inverse correlation with COVID-19 disease severity (r values ranging from -0.429 to -0.564).

Conclusions:

• Dynamic changes in the lymphocyte-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) are effective in differentiating COVID-19 disease severity.
• LCR serves as a valuable predictor of disease progression in adult patients with COVID-19.