The Relationship of serum d-dimer and IL-6 with Oxygen Saturation and severity of infection in patients affected with COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: In December 2019, the emergence of a novel coronavirus- induced pneumonia in Wuhan, China, posed a serious and urgent threat to public health worldwide. The study aims to find a relationship between serum d-dimer and IL-6 and oxygen saturation and severity of infection in patients affected by COVID-19. Patients and methods: Ninety people participated in the present study: sixty patients and thirty healthy subjects. Patients refused to take the COVID-19 vaccination, while the control subjects were vaccinated against COVID-19. The study was done from the first of January 2022 to the end of March 2022. COVID-19 was diagnosed by using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR), most commonly collected from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs. Blood samples were obtained from the patients and people who were apparently healthy as control subjects. White blood cell count, CRP, ferritin, IL-6, and D dimer were measured. Results: There was an increase in the number of  WBCs  in  COVID-19  patients,  as  compared  with  control  healthy subjects, (p≤ 0.01). Also, there was an increase in the concentration of serum ferritin in COVID-19 patients, as compared with control healthy subjects (p≤ 0.01). However, in the present study, there is a significant decrease in the SPO2 % in COVID-19 patients, as compared with control healthy  subjects,  (p≤  0.01).  Also,  there  was  an  elevation  in  the concentration of IL-6 and D dimer in COVID-19 patients, as compared with control healthy subjects ( p≤ 0.01). There was significant negative correlation between SpO2% and serum levels of (ferritin, r = -0.5, p < 0.01; CRP, r = -0.68, p < 0.01;  IL-6, r = -0.6, p < 0.01; and D-dimer, r = -0.78, p < 0.01).