The role of blood urea nitrogen/albumin ratio in predicting the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients in the emergency department in Saudi Arabia: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the role of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) to serum albumin (B/A) ratio (BAR) in predicting mortality in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in the emergency department (ED) at King Fahad Hospital, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This observational retrospective cohort study was conducted by including the data of patients from the ED admissions logbook, from January 2020 until June 2021. All patients aged 18 years and above with positive polymerase chain reaction test results for COVID-19 were included. Results: Results showed that 534 (100%) patients visited the ED. The median value of BUN in the nonsurvivor (expired) group was higher than in survivors (alive). In contrast, the albumin value was lower in the expired patients than in the alive patients. Conclusion: The BUN, albumin, and their ratio are the critical variables in predicting the mortality of COVID19-infected patients. Hence, BAR level is a reliable way to predict the in-hospital COVID-19 patients' mortality in the ED.