Early Prediction of Disease Progression in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Using C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio

December 3, 2021

Li, Y., et al.

Disease Markers

This retrospective observational study aimed to understand the role of the C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin (Alb) ratio in predicting disease progression and severity in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The study took place in a hospital in Wuhan, China between January and April 2020. It included 465 patients hospitalized with severe COVID 19; patients who progressed to critical disease or died were categorized as progressive while those who recovered and discharged were classified as stable. Data collection was done through the patients’ clinical and laboratory records. During hospitalization, 54 patients progressed to critical COVID-19 or death. Compared to the stable group, the progressive group had a higher proportion of men (71.4% vs. 50.9%) and patients with hypertension (69.7% vs. 45.0%). Traditional inflammation markers were higher in the progressive group compared to the stable, additionally, newer biomarkers including eutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, CRP/Alb ratio, and systemic immune-inflammation index were also higher. The CRP/Alb ratio had the highest correlation with sequential organ failure and length of hospital stay. The best cut-off point for the CRP/Alb ratio was 1.843 for predicting in-hospital progression, with a sensitivity of 91.1% and specificity of 78.0%. Patients in the high CRP/Alb ratio (>1.843) group had higher rates of in-hospital death, ICU admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, progression to critical illness, higher disease severity scores, and a longer hospital stay.

Li, Y., et al., Early Prediction of Disease Progression in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Using C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio. Dis Markers, 2021.p. 6304189.

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