Assessment of the disease course, diagnosis, and treatment of the new coronavirus infection in a Stavropol multidisciplinary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aim. To evaluate the disease course, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment results of COVID-19 patients. Materials and methods. In the period from January to December 2021, the moderate and severe COVID-19 forms complicated by polysegmental community-acquired pneumonia were monitored in 861 patients admitted to Stavropol Clinical City Hospital No. 3. Patients were assessed according to laboratory data, body mass index, concomitant diseases, gender, age, duration of inpatient treatment, and disease outcome. Results. More than half of the COVID-19 patients were overweight and had concomitant diseases at the time of admission, which significantly worsened the course and prognosis of the disease. The inflammation predictors (C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, fibrinogen, D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase) were found to have an important role, with their indicators correlating significantly with the severity of the patient’s condition. Dynamic monitoring of these laboratory parameters served as a marker of the adequacy of the therapy; however, these were not always a criterion for prescribing antibacterial therapy. Bacteriological diagnostics was applied only in 9.4% of cases. Conclusion. Although the COVID-19 severity was not associated with gender, it correlated significantly with age and the presence of comorbid cardiovascular, bronchopulmonary, and endocrine diseases. A retrospective analysis revealed characteristic laboratory markers of the severity of COVID-19 infection. It was revealed that the initial empirical ABT was initiated in 94% of cases in the absence of reliable objective signs of bacterial infection.