The effect of blood parameters on the frequency of thromboembolic events in COVID-19 patients

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is associated with an increased incidence of thromboembolic events.This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of in-hospital thromboembolic events in patients with COVID-19 and investigate the impact of blood parameters, measured at the time of diagnosis, on the development of thromboembolic events.METHODS: Demographic data, the frequency of thromboembolic events, and blood parameters at the time of diagnosis were recorded for all patients.RESULTS: A total of 2,323 patients, including 1,136 women (48.9%) and 1,187 men (51.1%) were included in the study.Thromboembolic events occurred in 103 (4.4%) patients during hospitalization.Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was observed in four patients (0.2%), pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in three patients (0.15%), peripheral arterial disease in four patients (0.2%), cerebrovascular events in 17 patients (0.7%), mesenteric ischemia in one patient (0.05%), and myocardial infarction (MI) in 74 patients (3.2%).The frequency of thromboembolic events was significantly higher in patients with hypertension (HT) (p=0.03),heart failure (p=0.023),chronic kidney disease (p=0.017), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (p=0.035)compared to those without these conditions.Patients with thromboembolic events were significantly older than those without such events (p=0.003).Among laboratory parameters, hemoglobin levels were significantly lower (p=0.002),and mean platelet volume (MPV) was significantly higher (p=0.009) in patients with thromboembolic events.Multiple regression analysis identified age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.001-1.027;p=0.032), hemoglobin levels (OR: 0.906, 95% CI: 0.824-0.997;p=0.043), and MPV (OR: 1.197, 95% CI: 1.030-1.391;p=0.019) as risk factors for thromboembolic events.CONCLUSIONS: Advanced age is a risk factor for thromboembolic events in patients with COVID-19.It is believed that hemoglobin levels and MPV at the time of hospital admission may also contribute to predicting thromboembolic events.