An investigation of the role of trace elements and biochemical parameters in patients with COVID-19

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic is an emergent viral respiratory disease characterized by high fever and shortness of breath, and it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Early assessment of patients’ biochemical tests is important for accelerating diagnosis, allowing effective treatment, and controlling the further spread of the disease. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the disease, trace elements -including copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), and cobalt (Co) vitamin D, Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) biochemical levels, and the correlation between the parameters tested in patients with COVID-19. Methods: In our study, 40 patients (case group) who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19 based on chest X-ray images and RT-PCR results evaluated by an infectious diseases specialist were included, along with 40 healthy individuals (control group) over the age of 18 who had no prior symptoms of COVID-19, no visits to a medical doctor for COVID-19, and no history of hospitalization due to the disease. Beckman Coulter AU5800 (Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA, USA) autoanalyzer was used for spectrophotometric analyses of clinical biochemistry tests, and vitamin D levels were examined using the HPLC method with the Shimadzu SIL-20A HT autosampler. Levels of trace elements-including Cu, Zn, Se, Mn, and Co-were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) on an ICP-MS Bruker Aurora M90 analytical complex. The normal distribution hypothesis for the variables in question was tested using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Student’s t-test was used for intergroup comparisons of variables meeting the normal distribution hypothesis, whereas Mann–Whitney U test was used for variables that did not meet the hypothesis. Results: Vitamin D levels were much lower in the case group (12.05 ng/mL ± 6.27) compared to the control group (23.54 ng/mL ± 10.54), and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Serum Cu, Zn, Se, Mn, and Co levels in the control group were higher compared to the COVID-19 group, yet only the differences in Zn, Se, and Mn levels were statistically significant (p