The profile of serum inflammatory biomarkers in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: how well do they reflect the presence of pulmonary involvement?

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with inflamma-tory and imaging alterations that vary depending on the disease severity.Objective: Monitoring changes in inflammatory biomarkers may offer insights into the extent of pulmonary altera-tions observed in chestCT. This study aimed to evaluate the profile of different inflammatory biomarkers, widely available and routinely measured in COVID-19 patients, and to determine whether alterations in their activity admission and discharge correlate with lung involvement assessed through CT scans. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study, wherein chest-CT scans were performed upon admission, and blood tests were conducted at admission and discharge. Treatment and monitoring adhered to national and ternational guidelines. Results: The profile of serum inflammatory markers (including values at admission and discharge, as well as their evolution during hospitalization) demonstrated a correlation with lung involvement as assessed by the total severity score. The high activity of serum inflammatory markers upon admission, accompanied by minimal changes during hospitalization, indicated a severe form of COVID-19 with notable lung involvement. While statistically significant differences were observed in C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, lactate dehydrogenase, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein emerged as the most reliable marker for assessing pulmonary involvement.Conclusion: Changes in serum inflammatory markers during hospitalization exhibited a weak to moderate negative correlation with the severity of lung involvement.