Correlation of ferritin, D-dimer, and CRP with disease severity and outcome in COVID-19 patients

Higher levels of ferritin were associated with severe forms of COVID-19 disease. Given the above, our goal was to investigate the associations between ferritin levels within COVID-19-infected individuals from the Adjara population (Georgia). A nasopharyngeal swab was collected from 318 individuals, and SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Ferritin levels were also investigated in the blood serum of the same individuals. Thus, the study of ferritin in COVID-19 patients (in the Adjara population revealed significantly higher ferritin levels in COVID-19 patients. Higher levels of ferritin were detected in the male subjects than in the female population (p=0.0001). COVID-19 patients with lethal outcomes had nearly ~3 times higher levels of ferritin than the reference value, while those who successfully recovered had ~1.9 times above the reference value. It should be noted that the individuals with lethal outcomes were between 81 and 90 years old. An increased level of D-dimer compared to the reference level was also detected in the male population and was nearly ~4.1 times higher in those with lethal outcomes. D-dimer was also significantly increased in patients at the age 71-80 years, while their CRP levels were approximately ~5.8 times above the reference level; Moreover, CRP level was ~24.4 times increased in the case of women with lethal outcomes; In particular, according to the comparing age groups, a high level of CRP was observed in 61-70 years patients. Our study revealed that the diseased population exhibited significantly higher ferritin levels. The ferritin levels in patients with lethal outcomes were considerably higher than those in patients who successfully recovered. Thus, the findings reveal a noteworthy elevation in D-dimer levels, particularly in men and deceased patients, with a notable elevation in the 71-80 age group. Additionally, CRP levels were markedly higher, especially among deceased women and individuals aged 61-70.