Short Communication
Laboratory findings of Libyan patients with COVID-19 in intensive care unit
Rehab R. Walli, Rawia A. Eshwihdi and Tomader Y. Elghnimi
Abstract :
The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared by the World Health Organization as a pandemic on 11th March, 2020 which spread rapidly all over the world. COVID-19 disease has different clinical presentations, ranging from asymptomatic to severe symptoms. Laboratory findings are important in determining which therapeutic strategies to seek and to identify severe cases initially. In this study, we compared the results of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, blood electrolytes and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration between survivors and non-survivors of 22 Libyan patients with COVID-19 present in the intensive care unit at Maitika Isolation Center (Tripoli, Libya) in the period of January to June 2021. We could not detect any significant difference in C-reactive protein between survivors and non-survivors but a significant difference in D-dimer level was observed. Non-survivor COVID-19 patients have a higher level of D-dimer. Moreover, a statistical significant difference in chloride and sodium levels but not in potassium level were detected. A marked lower of mean corpuscular hemoglobin in non-survivor than survivor COVID-19 patients was shown. Thus, these parameters could act as biomarkers for COVID-19 patients.