Association of inflammatory biomarkers with coronavirus disease 2019 severity: a retrospective study in the UAE

Background The inflammatory process involved in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection is one of great interest in understanding the pathophysiology and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to evaluate the association of inflammatory markers with severe COVID-19. Patients and methods The data were collected from patient files admitted to two tertiary hospitals in UAE during the COVID-19 pandemic from April to July 2020. During first COVID-19 wave that hits UAE, general symptoms as well as radiographic, blood, and immunological findings were also recorded. Results The study included 320 patients. Men (84.1%) outnumbered women (15.9%). Most (73.8%) patients had no comorbidities. The patients were from several nationalities, with Indians being the majority (51.9%). Most patients (65.6%) had mild, whereas 26.6% had severe manifestations. Only 25 patients were asymptomatic. C-reactive protein level had a significant relation to COVID-19 severity. Some parameters such as lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, D-dimer, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, ICU admission, and death rates as well as radiological findings in the severe group had significant differences compared with the mild and asymptomatic groups. Conclusions These data are valuable contributions to the monitoring, severity assessment, and prognosis of patients with COVID-19.