Abstract
Background: Systemic pro-inflammatory disease associated with COVID-19 pneumonia can be responsible of short- and long-term lung damage.
Aim: Compare inflammatory biomarkers blood level in severe COVID-19 patients based on oxygen requirement.
Methods: Retrospective analysis including patients in the pneumology department of the Tunis military hospital, between September 2020 and January 2021. Only patients with severe form of COVID-19 according to the OMS criteria were included. Patients were allocated to two groups: group 1 (G1) with oxygen requirement being less than or equal to 6 litres per minute (L/min), and group 2 with oxygen requirement being more than 6 L/min. Oxygen requirement was assessed by the strongest flow rate needed during hospitalisation. The level of blood inflammatory biomarkers of the two groups was compared.
Results: Fifty-three patients from G1 and 64 from G2 were enrolled. The mean age was 63.27 ± 11.10 years for G1 and 62.81 ± 12.93 years for G2 (p>0.005). Lymphopenia was a common laboratory test finding in the two groups. The proportion of lymphocytes was significantly lower in G2 than in G1 (p=0.008), and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was significatively higher in G2 than in G1 (p=0.023). A greater level of systemic interleukin-6 (IL-6) was found in G2 with statistically significant difference (p=0.001). Increased C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels were noted in G2 (p>0.005).
Conclusion: Oxygen requirements is correlated to the inflammatory immune response, especially to lymphocytes and IL-6 levels. These variables should be used as predictive factors for high oxygen needs to closely observe patients with severe COVID-19 form.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, PA657.
This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2021