Just one biomarker

One blood indicator accurately predicts the risk of severe COVID-19

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

Only one blood indicator indicating inflammation in the body turned out to be informative for predicting the condition of patients after hospitalization. If it is regularly used in clinical practice, it will allow to accurately identify the most vulnerable to the severe form of COVID-19 patients and start anti-inflammatory therapy in advance, preventing severe complications.

Article by Mueller et al. Inflammatory Biomarker Trends Predict Respiratory Decline in COVID-19 Patients published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine – VM.

American researchers have found that a rapid increase in the level of C-reactive protein – a biomarker of acute inflammatory processes in the body – during the first 48-72 hours after hospitalization is an indicator of a worse prognosis, including breathing difficulties and the need for artificial lung ventilation.

At the same time, stable values of C-reactive protein indicated a more stable course of the disease. The study, which is reported by the press release of Brigham and Women's Hospital Rapid Changes in Biomarker of Inflammation May Be a Key Predictor of COVID-19 Outcomes, involved 100 patients. They evaluated the dynamics of the biomarker in the blood for several days after hospitalization.

"The clinical condition of all these patients was relatively similar when they were admitted to the hospital, but after 24 hours we were able to see (by the dynamics of C-reactive protein) inflammation, which later led them to the intensive care unit," said co–author of the study, doctor of the intensive care unit Edi Yong Kim.

It was important to monitor changes in the level of C-reactive protein during the first three days, the authors emphasize. A single test during hospitalization was uninformative.

The results are of great practical importance from the point of view of choosing the initial treatment strategy for patients. Some will need early immunomodulatory therapy to prevent severe complications and laboratory test data will be an argument for doctors to prescribe these drugs quickly.

The Brigham Hospital, where the study was conducted, has already changed the protocol and included mandatory monitoring of C-reactive protein levels during the first three days after hospitalization. "We also hope that the results will allow other doctors and medical staff to better understand the instability of the condition of patients with COVID-19 and use the tools already available when choosing treatment tactics," the authors concluded.

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