D-DIMER – As A Biomarker for Severity of COVID-19

Abstract

Objective: To see the association of D-dimers with the prognosis of covid-19.

Material & Methods: This Retrospective Cross-sectional study was done at Benazir Bhutto hospital Rawalpindi during May –June 2020 obtaining a sample of 200 patients. All those patients being admitted in COVID ward were assessed on the basis of D-dimers and their 28-day outcome. Ethical approval was solicited from the Institutional Research Forum of Rawalpindi Medical University.
Results: The study yielded 200 participants in which the patients with moderate severity of the disease had a mean age of 40.33±6.65, that with severe disease had a mean age of 53.18±12.1 and critical patients had a mean age of 56.67±14.79. The disease severity is significantly related to increased mean age of the patient (p = 0.050). Mean serum ferritin levels in patients with moderate disease was 235.67±22.27 micrograms per liter, the patients with severe disease had mean value of 760.75±574.63 micrograms per liter and critical patients had a mean ferritin level of 974.10±773.85 micrograms per liter. This revealed that the ferritin levels increased significantly in patients with severe disease. Our findings establish a consistent increase in the levels of D-dimers with increasing severity of the disease, from mild to severe to critical patients.

Conclusion: D –Dimers are important predictors of prognosis and disease severity which can be utilized to evaluate the treatment outcomes in COVID-19 infection. Further studies are recommended to find out the cut-off value of D-dimers as a biomarker of disease severity.