Impact of various hematological and biochemical parameters on mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A single-center study from North India

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has rapidly evolved into a pandemic, affecting more than 90 million people and more than 1.9 million deaths worldwide. Despite extensive study, the prognostic role of various hematological and biochemical parameters remains unclear. METHODS: This study was carried out at a COVID care facility in Delhi. The demographic and clinical information, laboratory parameters (hematological, biochemical, and inflammatory), and the treatment of admitted COVID-19 patients during first wave were collected from electronic medical records and were subsequently analyzed. RESULTS: Between March 2020 and November 2020, a total of 5574 patients were admitted to hospital due to COVID-19. Majority (77.2%) were male and had a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 38.9 (14.9) years. The mean (SD) duration of hospital stay was significantly higher in nonsurvivors. Out of the entire cohort, 8.7% of the patients had comorbidities, whereas 47.1% of the patients were asymptomatic at presentation. Compared to the survivors, the nonsurvivors had a significantly higher proportion of comorbidities and were more likely to be symptomatic. Patients who died during hospital stay had significantly higher relative neutrophil percent and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio and lower lymphocyte percent. The patients who died had significantly higher levels of ferritin, D-dimer, and fibrinogen. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of various hematological and inflammatory parameters can provide useful prognostic information among COVID-19-affected patients. It can also help in identifying patients who merit aggressive institutional care and thereby potentially mitigate the mortality.