Clinical-laboratory characteristics predictive of COVID-19 severity: a prospective hospital cohort, in Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil

To describe the clinical-laboratory profile and analyze the factors associated with the severity of COVID-19.

A prospective cohort study involving patients with COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary hospital in Recife, Brazil. All cases were confirmed by RT-PCR and classified according to severity criteria. A descriptive statistical analysis of the population’s characteristics was conducted. Risk factors associated with the outcome of the case according to severity were analyzed by calculating the odds ratio (OR) using the general equation estimation (GEE) model.

Among the 75 cases included, 64% were female, and 62.7% were aged 65 years or older. The median length of stay was 9 days (6 – 14). Hypertension (65.3%) and Diabetes Mellitus (36%) were the most frequent comorbidities. Severe forms of COVID-19 constituted 41.3% of the sample. The factors associated with severity were a history of asthma (OR=4.58, 95%CI:1.13 – 18.7), report of anorexia (OR=1, 12, 95%CI:1.01–1.24), and laboratory changes that included elevated platelets (OR=1.00, 95% CI:1.00–1.01), elevated D'Dimer (OR=1, 26, 95% CI:1.04–1.52), elevated aspartate aminotransferase (OR=1.00, 95% CI:1.00–1.01), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (OR=1.22, IC95 %:0.98–1.51), hypernatremia (OR=1.31, 95%CI:1.12–1.52), and hyperkalemia (OR=1.21, 95% CI:1.04–1.41).

Multisystemic involvement with a tendency for thrombophilia, electrolyte disturbances, and hepatic aggression, reflected by laboratory changes, were factors associated with the severity of COVID-19.