Impact of Early Administration of Albumin on Mortality Among Severe COVID-19 Patients, China.

Abstract

Purpose: Hypoalbuminemia is commonly observed in patients with severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is independently associated with adverse outcomes. However, the efficacy of albumin administration on the clinical prognosis of these patients remains uncertain.

Patients and methods: This multicenter retrospective study enrolled 458 patients with severe COVID-19 in four medical centers from December 1, 2022, to June 1, 2024. Clinical features and laboratory variables were collected through electronic medical records. The cohorts were divided into two groups: albumin administration and non-albumin administration. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used for minimizing confounding effect. Statistical analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between early albumin administration and 28-day mortality.

Results: Four hundred and fifty-eight severe COVID-19 cases were included in the study, of which 167 (36.5%) received early albumin administration, while 291 (63.5%) did not. Among these patients, 140 experienced in-hospital mortality and 318 survived. Compared to survivors, non-survivors exhibited significantly lower serum albumin levels (29.1g/L vs.33.8g/L, p < 0.05). In comparison to patients with admission albumin levels ≥30 g/L, those with albumin levels <30 g/L had a significantly higher in-hospital mortality (48.4% vs 21.1%, p < 0.001). Prior to PSM, the albumin administration group demonstrated significantly higher 28-day and in-hospital cumulative survival rates compared to the non-albumin group (both p < 0.001). However, no significant differences were observed between the two groups following PSM (p = 0.21 and p = 0.41, respectively).

Conclusion: Hypoalbuminemia was correlated with adverse outcomes in severe COVID-19 patients. However, early albumin administration did not reduce 28-day mortality and in-hospital mortality in these patients, and more relative RCTs were required for validation.