Publication:

Effects of comorbidities on COVID-19 biomarkers: a retrospective study

Background This retrospective investigation aimed to assess the effects of comorbidities on COVID-19 biomarkers at admission and during the post-discharge recovery period.

Methods A total of 369 confirmed and hospitalized COVID-19 patients were included in this study. Biomarkers including D-dimer, ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were recorded at three time points: hospital admission, 15 days post-discharge, and 30 days post-discharge. Data were retrieved from hospital records, and comorbidities were classified using the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Study design was retrospective cohort study

Results About 44.87% of patients had diabetes as a pre-existing comorbidity, followed by hypertension (HTN) (27.07%) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (25.78%). About 79.95% patients had diabetes mellitus (DM)+CVD+HTN.  The age (p=0.108) and gender (p=0.481) showed an insignificant association with the comorbidity of COVID-19 patients. The patients with diabetes as a comorbidity showed the highest levels of D-dimer, Ferritin and LDH, while patients with CVD showed the highest levels of CRP. The mean D dimer, ferritin and CRP levels at admission and after 15- and 30-days post-discharge did not differ significantly (p>0.05) with respect to comorbidities. However, the mean LDH differ significantly (p=0.00) for patients with diabetes and other comorbidities at admission and 15 days post-discharge.

Conclusions The mean levels of COVID-19 biomarkers-D-dimer, ferritin, and CRP-measured at admission and at 15- and 30-days post-discharge showed no significant differences across comorbidity groups. In contrast, LDH levels at two time points differed significantly with respect to comorbidity. This significant variation in LDH suggests that it may serve as a useful indicator for assessing disease severity in patients with comorbid conditions.