As the coronavirus cases in the world continue to surge, the only way to protect all of us is to ramp up testing. As you know, the coronavirus is also notorious for killing people suspiciously. That’s why early diagnosis of whether the disease will turn fatal in a patient or not can be a great tool to save lives. According to scientists, biomarkers in COVID-19 patients’ blood can help identify his/her health status. These biomarkers can help detect critical cases early on in the infection, thereby decreasing the mortality rate even further.
Five biomarkers associated with higher risks of overall health deterioration and death in COVID-19 patients have been identified by the researchers at George Washington University. In fact, according to health experts in Bengaluru, these biomarkers are already a part of testing in the city and the country. The research on the same has been published in Future Medicine and this will help doctors to provide better treatment to the patients.
Dr. Juan Reyes, MD, co-author of the study, says, “When we started treating COVID-19 patients, we watched them get better or get worse, but we didn’t know why. Some initial studies had come out of China showing certain biomarkers were associated with bad outcomes. There was a desire to see if this was true for the patients in the U.S.”
For the purpose of the study, 299 COVID-19 patients were evaluated by the research team. Out of these 299, 200 had biomarkers such as IL-6, D-dimer, LDH, CRP, and ferritin in their bloodstream. In human physiology, elevated levels of such markers indicate dense inflammation and bleeding disorder. It also indicates a high requirement for mechanical ventilation and ICU admission in the future. When the LDH levels in a patient rise beyond 1200 units/l and that of D-dimer rise beyond 3 mg/ml, the chances of death in a patient rise too.
Dr. Pradeep Rangappa, national Vice-President, Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine, says that all intensivists at the district hospitals in Bengaluru have been provided with these biomarkers. He further added, “Earlier, physicians determined the risk for COVID-19 deterioration and death on the basis of age and underlying medical conditions like immunocompromised state, obesity, and heart disease. We then took the Chinese study published in Lancet and now follow serial trends.”
He also said, “We also look at biomarkers such as D-dimers that show the risk of clot formation in the blood vessels leading to heart attacks or deep vein thrombosis or strokes. We then treat such patients with blood thinners. Also, IL6 indicates cytokine storms.”