Incidence and impact of disseminated intravascular coagulation in COVID-19 a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease, with significant morbidity and mortality. This meta-analysis is to evaluate the prevalence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in COVID-19 patients and to determine the association of DIC with the severity and prognosis of COVID-19. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database until August 12, 2020. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16.0 software. RESULTS: 14 studies were included in our meta-analysis. The pooled analysis revealed that the incidence of COVID-19 patients developing DIC was 3% (95%: 1%–5%, P < 0.001). In addition, deaths were more likely to be associated with DIC (Log OR = 2.46, 95% CI: 0.94–3.99, P < 0.001) with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: DIC is associated with the severity and poor prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Therefore, attention should be paid to coagulation dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. Monitoring of coagulation indicators may improve the prognosis of COVID-19 inpatients.