BASIC LABORATORY ANALYSIS IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS OF COVID 19 PNEUMONIA
Keywords:
blood count, CRP, LDH, ferritinAbstract
Role of laboratory diagnostic tests is not very important for the diagnosis of Covid 19 pneumonia, but also for assessing the severity of the disease, deciding on antibiotic therapy and monitoring the effect of therapy. By monitoring of some basic parameters such as blood count, % of neutrophils, % of lymphocytes, monitoring LDH, CRP and ferritin levels in patients with Covid 19 pneumonia, we could say that these routine analyzes can also be used by the clinician to assess the severity of the clinical disease and these allow clinicians toundertake further therapeutic procedures. The SARS-COV-2 virus causes Covid 19 disease, which is characterized by a wide clinical spectrum. Some patients are completely asymptomatic, some have a mild clinical illness and some patients develop acute respiratory distress syndrome. SARS-COV 2 virus belongs to the group of Corona viruses, similar to the SARS-COV virus that caused the SARS epidemic in 2003. A total of 60 patients with Covid-19 were followed in this study. Following laboratory parameters were analyzed: complete blood count, CRP, LDH, ferritin. Total leukocyte counts, % of neutrophils, CRP, LDH, and ferritin were elevated, and % of lymphocytes were statistically decreased for patients with pneumonia on oxygen therapy compared to patients with pneumonia who did not require oxygen, indicating that patients with severe clinical illness require frequent clinical reevaluations in order to determinate, wich patients need intensive care treatment. Progressive leukocytosis with an increasing neutrophil count and declining lymphocytes are prognostically unfavorable factors. Lymphopenia indicates a reduced immune response to the virus present in the body and is not a good prognostic sign in patients with Covid 19. CRP and ferritin values correlate with the degree of inflammation. Significantly elevated levels of ferritin found in the serum of Covid 19 patients indicate an unfavorable prognosis. Biochemical analyzes as complete blood count, LDH, CRP, ferritin are of immeasurable importance in the diagnosis of Covid 19 pneumonia.
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