is hypoalbuminemia a new biomarker in severe pneumonia associated with
coronavirus disease 2019?
Abstract
Objective: In the present study, the importance of albumin level in
severe pneumonia due to covid 19 was investigated. Design: This was a
retrospective study. Setting:Emergency Department of Ankara City
Hospital, between 1 september 2020 and 1 february May 2021. Subjects:
Effective triage and early detection are very important for the control
and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019. For this purpose the relation
between hypoalbuminemia and other acute phase reactants was compared in
severe pneumonia due to Covid-19. Main outcome measures: The data of 122
patients diagnosed with pneumonia due to Covid 19 and 60 healthy control
group were retrospectively analyzed in statistical terms in computer
medium. The cases were divided into 3 groups as Healthy Control Group,
Intubated Group, and Non-Intubated Group. The lung tomography of
patients diagnosed with Covid 19 pneumonia was examined one-by-one. The
RT-PCR (Real-Time Polymerized Chance Reaction) test results were
recorded from the system. The albumin, WBC (White Blood Cell), N/L
(Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio), CRP (C-Reactive Protein) levels, who are
acute phase reactant levels, of the patients were compared with the
Control Group. Also, the two groups who were intubated and not intubated
were also compared. Results: When all the data were examined, it was
found that the albumin levels were lower at statistically significant
levels in all 3 study groups (p<0.01). The other acute phase
reactants, N/L ratio and CRP levels were significantly higher
(p<0.05). Hypoalbuminemia was found to be significantly lower
as a result of the comparisons of the two groups that were intubated and
not intubated (p=0.02), and no differences were detected in terms of
other parameters (p>0.05). Conclusion: Serum albumin levels
may be lower in severe Covid 19 pneumonia. Hypoalbuminemia can be a
biomarker indicating the severity of the disease as an acute phase
reactant.