Nutritional status is closely related to the severity of COVID-19: A multi-center retrospective study

Abstract

Introduction: Nutritional status has been defined as an individual's health condition. The relationship between the progression of COVID-19 and Nutritional status is still unclear. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of 342 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, and analyzed the relationship between the progression of COVID-19 and Nutritional status. Methodology: 342 COVID-19 were enrolled from ten different hospitals in China. The clinical characteristics were collected and analyzed. Results: The body mass index (BMI) of the mild patients (Group A) was higher than those in severe patients (Group B) and critical patients (Group C); The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level of Group A was lower than those of the other two groups; Sex, age, and BMI, was strongly correlated with Clinical classification (CT); Among the laboratory test results, Neutrophil (NEU%), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), LDH, and blood glucose (BG) were positively correlated with CT; Lymphocyte ( LYM%), Platelet (PLT), Albumin (ALB), and Creatinine (Cr) were negatively correlated with CT. BMI, NEU%, LYM%, ALB, Cr, and PLT are all protective factors that affect CT. Conclusion: People with poor nutritional status (lower BMI and ALB) have a higher risk of developing severe disease after infection with SARS-CoV-2. In the clinical treatment of COVID-19, individualized nutritional support is very important for the rehabilitation of patients.