Procalcitonin and D-dimer as a prognostic marker and outcome predictor in COVID-19 patients and effect of comorbidities on these biomarkers

Abstract

Abstract Background and Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as an unexpected crisis at the beginning of year 2020 and amidst the crisis arises a need to identify biomarkers that can predict mortality among these patients. The effect of comorbidities on the levels of these biomarkers and the outcomes was also studied. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional type of observational study involving a total of 111 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Among these patients 17.1% were diabetic, 19.8% were hypertensive, and 19.8% were both diabetic and hypertensive. Serial values of PCT on days 0, 3, and 7 and that of D-dimer on days 0 and 5 were measured among these patients and the results were analyzed. Results: The results showed that baseline serum PCT and D-dimer were significantly higher among the patients who were deceased and showed an increasing trend on serial evaluation suggesting that they are strong predictors of outcome. The mean values of PCT and D-dimer were also higher in patients with comorbidities when compared to those with no comorbidities. Out of a total of 111 patients, 33 patients (29.7%) were deceased and 78 patients (70.3%) were discharged. Interpretation and Conclusion: Serum PCT and D-dimer both were independent and strong predictors of outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Comorbidities like diabetes had a significant effect on the levels of above-mentioned biomarkers.