Researchers at George Washington University (GW) have found five blood biomarkers associated with higher odds of clinical deterioration and death in Covid-19 patients.
The research team evaluated 299 Covid-19 patients admitted to GW hospital, and tested their blood for traces of five biomarkers – IL-6, D-dimer, CRP, LDH and ferritin. Of these patients, 200 of them had all five biomarkers, which are associated with inflammation and bleeding disorder, showing an independent increased risk for ICU admission, invasive ventilatory support and death.
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The highest odds of death occurred when the LDH level was greater than 1,200 units/l and a D-dimer level was greater than 3 μg/ml.
GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences assistant professor of medicine Dr Shant Ayanian said: “We hope these biomarkers help physicians determine how aggressively they need to treat patients, whether a patient should be discharged, and how to monitor patients who are going home, among other clinical decisions.”
