Blood test may point to patients at higher risk for COVID-19
deterioration, death

Date:
August 6, 2020
Source:
George Washington University
Summary:
Researchers analyzed five biomarkers present in the blood of
hundreds of COVID-19 patients, finding elevated levels associated
with higher odds of clinical deterioration and death.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== George Washington University (GW) researchers found five biomarkers,
medical indicators found in the blood, associated with higher odds of
clinical deterioration and death in COVID-19 patients. Published in
Future Medicine, these findings will help physicians better predict
outcomes for COVID-19 patients in the U.S.


========================================================================== "When we first started treating COVID-19 patients, we watched them
get better or get worse, but we didn't know why," said Juan Reyes,
MD, co-author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at the
GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. "Some initial studies had
come out of China showing certain biomarkers were associated with bad
outcomes. There was a desire to see if that was true for our patients here
in the U.S." The research team evaluated 299 patients diagnosed with
COVID-19 admitted to GW Hospital between March 12 and May 9, 2020. Of
these patients, 200 had all five biomarkers being evaluated -- IL-6,
D-dimer, CRP, LDH and ferritin. Elevated levels of these biomarkers were associated with inflammation and bleeding disorder, showing an independent increased risk for ICU admission, invasive ventilatory support, and
death. The highest odds of death occurred when the LDH level was greater
than 1200 units/l and a D-dimer level was greater than 3 ?g/ ml.

"We hope these biomarkers help physicians determine how aggressively they
need to treat patients, whether a patient should be discharged, and how
to monitor patients who are going home, among other clinical decisions,"
said Shant Ayanian, MD, first author of the study and assistant professor
of medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Currently, physicians determine risk for COVID-19 deterioration and death
based on age and certain underlying medical conditions, like having
an immunocompromised state, obesity, and heart disease. Performing a
simple blood test for patients admitted to the emergency department,
then also making decisions based on biomarkers present, may further
aid point-of-care clinical decision making. Reyes, Ayanian, and the GW
research team will continue to analyze this data to help physicians
make more informed decisions for patients, as well as help hospitals
that may need to stratify resources.

"The association between biomarkers and clinical outcomes in novel
coronavirus pneumonia in a US cohort" was published in Future Medicine.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by George_Washington_University. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Shant Ayanian, Juan Reyes, Lei Lynn, Karolyn Teufel. The association
between biomarkers and clinical outcomes in novel coronavirus
pneumonia in a US cohort. Biomarkers in Medicine, 2020; DOI:
10.2217/bmm-2020-0309 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200806153552.htm

--- up 3 weeks, 1 day, 1 hour, 55 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)