Laboratory Characteristics and Presentation of Multi-Organ Affection among Hospitalized Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Public Hospital in Bitola.

Introduction: In December 2019, a highly infectious disease i.e. pneumonia caused by the coronavirus disease SARS-CoV-2, occurred in Wuhan, China, and the World Health Organization has declared its ongoing outbreak a pandemic. The clinical laboratory plays a key role in supporting the monitoring and management of SARS-CoV-2 disease. Material and methods: Our study describes the laboratory characteristics of 103, SARS-CoV-2 patients hospitalized in the public hospital Trifun Panovski in the period April - June 2020. Only two patients died as a result of the SARS-CoV-2. The most common laboratory abnormalities were: elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: Leukocytosis was found in 23.3%, and leucopenia in 3% of patients with SARS – CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 infection can be associated with myocardial injury, heart failure, vascular inflammation, myocarditis, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypoxic encephalopathy. We found increased values of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and γ –glutamyl transferase (γ –GT) in 35 – 50% of patients. We detected affected renal function in 10% of our patients with SARS – CoV 2. Conclusion:We identified potential biomarkers of disease severity. Our results provide guidance in risk assessment, clinical monitoring and therapy decision-making processes