Role of Coagulation Profile in Predicting Disease Severity Among Patients of COVID-19

Abstract

Background Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), affects the coagulation cascade. In this retrospective study, we aimed to analyze the association of different coagulation parameters including that of D-dimer, fibrinogen, prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) with severity in COVID-19 patients. Methodology A total of 90 patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 on real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) were included in the study. The patients were categorized as severe and non-severe, and their D-dimer, fibrinogen, PT, and aPTT values on admission were evaluated. The association of the coagulation parameters with disease severity was analyzed by independent t-test and Chi-square test. The cut-off values of these parameters were calculated to predict the disease severity by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve. Results Out of 90 patients admitted, 42 patients were categorized as severe and the rest 48 patients were categorized as non-severe. D-dimer, fibrinogen, and PT in the severe group were significantly higher than the non-severe group with p-values of <0.001, 0.005, and <0.001, respectively. Cut-off values of 0.99 mg/L for D-dimer,349.5 mg/dL for fibrinogen, and 13.05 seconds for PT were predictive of disease severity among COVID-19 patients. Conclusion Severe COVID-19 patients showed significantly higher levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen and prolongation of PT as compared to non-severe COVID-19 patients. Higher levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen, and prolonged PT are predictive of increased disease severity among COVID-19 patients.