Obesity,a major risk factor for immunity and severe outcomes of COVID-19

An influenza-like virus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for COVID-19 disease and spread worldwide within a short time. COVID-19 has now become a significant concern for public health. Obesity is highly prevalent worldwide and is considered a risk factor for impairing the adaptive immune system. Although diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and renal failure are considered the risk factors for COVID-19, obesity is not yet well-considered. The present study approaches establishing a systemic association between the prevalence of obesity and its impact on immunity concerning the severe outcomes of COVID-19 utilizing existing knowledge. Overall study outcomes documented the worldwide prevalence of obesity, its effects on immunity, and a possible underlying mechanism covering obesity-related risk pathways for the severe outcomes of COVID-19. Overall understanding from the present study is that being an immune system impairing factor, the role of obesity in the severe outcomes of COVID-19 is worthy.     

Dynamic changes of platelet-related parameters and their associations with clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients during hospitalization

This paper aims to analyze dynamic changes in platelet-related indicators and their associations with clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. 220 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the General Hospital of Central Theater Command the PLA from January 21, 2020 to March 25, 2020, were enrolled. These patients were firstly divided into non-severe and severe groups in accordance with disease severity on admission. The patients of the severe group were further divided into survivors and non-survivors according to whether the patient was discharged or deceased. The results demonstrated that IL-6 had negative correlations with PLT (R=?0.318, P<0.001) and PCT (R=?0.323, P<0.001). However, no significant correlations or only weak correlations were found between the platelet-related parameters (PLT, MPV, PDW, PCT, and P-LCR) and other indexes of coagulation and inflammation (PT, APTT, FIB, D-D, and CRP). The dynamic changes of platelet-related parameters in non-severe patients and survivors during hospitalization showed very similar trends and changing rules, while those in the non-survivor group were considerably different. After adjusting for demographic variables and coexisting disorders, the patients with nadir platelet counts of (100–150), (50–100), and (0–50), respectively, possessed a significantly increased risk of mortality [(OR=1.81, 95% CI, 0.2–16.44, P>0.05), (OR=9.91, 95% CI, 1.36–72.2, P<0.05), and (OR=53.81, 95% CI, 5.85–495.22, P<0.001)] with (150–) as the reference. This study suggests that changing trends of the platelet-related parameterrs during hospitalization especially in the first week after admission, are of great significance for predicting clinical outcomes.     

Association of disease severity and death outcome with vaccination status of admitted COVID-19 patients in delta period of SARS-COV-2 in mixed variety of vaccine background

To understand the effectual role of COVID-19 vaccination, we must analyze its effectiveness in dampening the disease severity and death outcome in patients who acquire infection and require hospitalization. The goal of this study was to see if there was an association between disease progression in admitted COVID-19 patients and their prior vaccination exposure. A prospective cohort study based on 1640 admitted COVID-19 patients were carried between June 2021 and October 2021. Depending on vaccination exposure they were divided into vaccinated (exposed) and unvaccinated (unexposed) groups, excluding partially vaccinated patients. Disease severity was assessed at admission on severity index scale. Disease progression to mortality or need of mechanical ventilation and survival were taken as outcome. Absolute difference with 95%CI and Risk Ratio were calculated using cross tabulation, Chi square test and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Among 1514 total analyzed cohort (median age, 53 years [IQR, 17,106]; 43.7% from 46 to 65 years of age group, 56.2% males,33.4% with no comorbid factor for disease progression) 369(24.4%) were vaccinated breakthrough cases and 1145(75.6%) were unvaccinated controls. 556(36.7%) progressed to death or mechanical ventilation, 958(63.3%) patients survived and were discharged home. Disease progression to death or mechanical ventilation was significantly associated with decreased likelihood of vaccination (24.9% among vaccinated breakthrough vs 40.5% unvaccinated controls, [Absolute difference ?15.6% 95%CI (?10.2% to ?20.6%); RR 0.615 95%CI (0.509, 0.744); p <.001]). This association was stronger for old age population and for increase time span between second dose of vaccine and onset of symptoms. There was no statistically significant difference among different types of vaccination and occurrence of outcome when compared to unvaccinated controls (RR 0.607(0.482, 0.763); 0.673(0.339, 1.33) and 0.623(0.441, 0.881) for Inactivated virus vaccine, mRNA and Adenovirus vector-based vaccine respectively. The patients who were fully vaccinated against SARS-COV-2 die or shift to mechanical ventilation less frequently than unvaccinated COVID-19 admitted patients.     

Prolonged humoral and cellular immunity in COVID-19-recovered patients

By the beginning of 2021, the battle against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains ongoing. Investigating the adaptive immune response against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19, in patients who have recovered from this disease could contribute to our understanding of the natural host immune response. We enrolled 38 participants in this study. 7 healthy participants and 31 COVID-19 patients who had recovered from COVID-19 and categorized them into 3 groups according to their previous clinical presentations: 10 moderate, 9 mild, and 12 asymptomatic. Flow cytometry analysis of peripheral lymphocyte counts in recovered patients showed significantly increased levels of CD4⁺ T cells in patients with a history of mild and moderate COVID-19 symptoms compared with those healthy individuals (p < 0.05 and p < 0.0001 respectively). whereas no significant difference was observed in the CD8⁺ T cell percentage in COVID-19-recovered patients compared with healthy individuals. Our study demonstrated that antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (anti-S) IgG antibody production could be observed in all recovered COVID-19 patients, regardless of whether they were asymptomatic (p < 0.05)or presented with mild (p < 0.0001) or moderate symptoms (p < 0.01). Anti-S IgG antibodies could be detected in participants up to 90 days post-infection. In conclusion, the lymphocyte levels in recovered patients were associated with the clinical presentation of the disease, and further analysis is required to investigate relationships between different clinical presentations and lymphocyte activation and function.     

Prolonged viral shedding and antibody persistence in patients with COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 as a new global threat has affected global population for one year. Despite the great effort to eradicate this infection, there are still some challenges including different viral presentation, temporal immunity in infected individuals and variable data of viral shedding. We studied 255 COVID-19 suspected individuals to assess the viral shedding duration and also the antibody development against SARS-CoV-2 among the cases. Real Time RT-PCR assay was applied to determine the virus presence and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were evaluated using SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG kits. 113 patients were confirmed for COVID-19 infection. The patients were followed until negative PCR achieved. The median viral shedding among studied population was obtained 34.16 (±17.65) days which was not significantly associated with age, sex and underlying diseases. Shiver and body pain were found in prolonged form of the infection and also patients who had gastrointestinal problems experienced longer viral shedding. Moreover, IgG was present in 84% of patients after 150 days. According to this data, the median viral shedding prolongation was 34.16 days which indicates that 14 days isolation might not be enough for population. In addition, IgG profiling indicated that it is persistent in a majority of patients for nearly 6 months which has brought some hopes in vaccine efficacy and application.     

Evaluation of clinical outcomes,laboratory and imaging data of patients with solid tumor infected with COVID-19 infection

Background: COVID-19 is associated with higher mortality rates in patients with cancer. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes, and laboratory and imaging data of patients with solid tumor infected with COVID-19 infection. Methods: This is a cross-sectional retrospective study performed in 2020-2022 on 85 patients with a previous diagnosis of solid tumors infected with COVID-19. We included all patients with tumors of solid organs that were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and required hospitalization those patients previously hospitalized for treatments and were infected with COVID-19 during hospitalization. Demographic data of patients were collected using a checklist. We collected data regarding clinical outcome (discharge, hospitalization or death), duration of hospitalization, requiring ICU admission, duration of hospitalization divided by received drugs and type of tumor and mean survival time. Furthermore, we collected laboratory data from all patients. The radiologic characteristics of patients were also extracted from their data. Results: Breast cancer was the most common solid tumor (34.9%), followed by lung cancer (19.3%). The mortality rate was 24.1% (20 patients). The highest mortality rate in this study was for metastatic intestinal cancer to the lung (100%, one patient), followed by metastatic prostatic cancer to lung (50%, three patients). The highest hospitalization duration was for patients with glioblastoma multiform (GBM) (30 days). The mean survival time among patients with mortality was 19.15±1.80 days. The mean CT severity score of all patients was 27.53±22.90. Patient’s most common radiologic sign was air space consolidation (89.1%). The highest CT severity score was found in patients with stomach cancer (46.67±5.77). Conclusion: The mortality rate in this study was 24.1%. Based on the results of our study and previous research, special care should be provided to patients with solid tumors during the COVID-19 pandemic and in infected cases.     

ARB might be superior to ACEI for treatment of hypertensive COVID-19 patients

The administration of ACEI/ARB (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/Angiotension II receptor blockers) in COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) patients with hypertension exhibits a lower risk of mortality compared with ACEI/ARB non-users. In this context, an important question arises: is ACEI or ARB more suitable for the treatment of hypertensive COVID-19 patients? Taken into consideration the following four rationales, ARB may offer a more significant benefit than ACEI for the short-term treatment of hypertensive COVID-19 patients: 1. ACEI has no inhibition on non-ACE-mediated Ang II production under infection conditions, whereas ARB can function properly regardless of how Ang II is produced; 2. ACEI-induced bradykinin accumulation may instigate severe ARDS while ARB has no effects on kinin metabolism; 3. ARB alleviates viscous sputa production and inflammatory reaction significantly in contrast to ACEI; 4. ARB may attenuate the lung fibrosis induced by mechanical ventilation in severe patients and improve their prognosis significantly compared with ACEI. To examine the advantages of ARB over ACEI on hypertensive COVID-19 patients, retrospective case-control studies comparing the clinical outcomes for COVID-19 patients receiving ARB or ACEI treatment is strikingly needed in order to provide guidance for the clinical application.     

Sex differences in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with COVID-19

Millions of people infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been diagnosed with coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19). The prevalence and severity of COVID-19 differ between sexes. To explain these differences, we analyzed clinical features and laboratory values in male and female COVID-19 patients. The present study included a cohort of 111 people, i.e. 36 COVID-19 patients, 54 sex- and age-matched common viral community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients, and 21 healthy controls. Monocyte counts, lymphocyte subset counts, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in the peripheral blood were analyzed. Higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, monocyte counts, and CRP and ALT levels were found in male COVID-19 patients. Decreased lymphocyte subset counts and proportions were observed in COVID-19 patients, except for the CD3⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell proportions. The lower CD4⁺ T cell proportions and higher CD8⁺ T cell proportions were observed in male and severe COVID-19 patients and the differences were independent of estrogen level. The CD4⁺ T cell proportion was negatively associated with the CD8⁺ T cell proportion in male COVID-19 patients; this correlation was non-significant in females. Our work demonstrates differences between sexes in circulating monocyte counts and CD4⁺ T cell and CD8⁺ T cell proportions in COVID-19 patients, independent of estrogen levels, are associated with the clinical manifestations in COVID-19 patients with high specificity.     

Characteristics of chest pain in COVID-19 patients in the emergency department

IntroductionPatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can present with chest pain. However, the characteristics of this chest pain are unknown. We performed a single-centre observational study to review and summarise chest pain characteristics in COVID-19 patients at first presentation to the emergency department (ED).MethodsWe collected data on characteristics of ‘chest pain’ reported by COVID-19 patients who attended the ED of Bernhoven Hospital, the Netherlands from 4 through 30 March 2020.ResultsWe included 497 COVID-19 patients, of whom 83 (17%) reported chest pain upon presentation to the ED. Chest pain characteristics were: present since disease onset (88%), retrosternal location (43%), experienced as compressing/pressure pain (61%), no radiation (61%) and linked to heavy coughing (39%). Patients who reported chest pain were younger than those without chest pain (61 vs 73 years; p < 0.001). Patients with syncope were older (75 vs 72 years; p = 0.017), had a shorter duration of symptoms (5 vs 7 days; p < 0.001) and reported fewer respiratory complaints (68% vs 90%; p < 0.001) than those without syncope. Patients with new-onset atrial arrhythmias presented with a shorter duration of symptoms (5 vs 7 days; p = 0.013), experienced fewer respiratory complaints (72% vs 89%; p = 0.012) and more frequently had a history of cardiovascular disease (79% vs 50%; p = 0.003) than patients who presented without arrythmias.ConclusionChest pain and other cardiac symptoms were frequently observed in COVID-19 patients. Treating physicians should be aware that chest pain, arrhythmias and syncope can be presenting symptoms of COVID-19.Supplementary InformationThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12471-022-01730-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Echocardiographic estimation of pulmonary hypertension in COVID-19 patients

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the cause of a devastating global pandemic and is not likely to be fully resolved in the near future. In most cases COVID-19 presents with mild symptoms, but in a minority of patients respiratory and multi-organ failure may ensue. Previous research has focused on the correlation between COVID-19 and a variety of cardiovascular complications. However, the effect of COVID-19 on pulmonary hypertension (PH) and correlated cardiovascular parameters has not been evaluated extensively.MethodsThis study was designed as a single-centre, semi-quantitative analysis. PH was considered to be present if echocardiographic measurements estimated right ventricular systolic pressure at rest to be 36 mm Hg or higher in combination with indirect indicators of right ventricular overload.ResultsIn total, 101 patients (67.3% male) were included in this study, with a mean age of 66 years (range 23–98 years). PH was diagnosed by echocardiographic estimation in 30 patients (29.7%). Echocardiographically estimated PH (eePH) was not correlated with a diagnosis of heart failure or pulmonary embolism. Mortality was significantly higher among COVID-19 patients with eePH (p = 0.015). In all 10 of 20 surviving eePH patients in whom echocardiographic follow-up was obtained, echocardiographic estimations of pulmonary pressures showed a significant decrease after a median of 144 ± 72 days.ConclusioneePH is frequently observed in COVID-19 patients and is correlated with increased mortality. COVID-19-related eePH appears to be reversible after recovery. Vigilant attention and a low threshold for performance of echocardiography in COVID-19 patients seems warranted, as eePH may be applicable as a prognostic risk factor.     

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is not associated with risk of sarcopenia in elderly COVID-19 patients

BackgroundTo assess the existence of association between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the risk of sarcopenia in COVID-19 patients.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in a university hospital with patients with an active COVID-19 infection admitted to the nursing ward or intensive care unit (ICU) between September to December 2020. Sarcopenia risk was assessed using the Strength, Assistance for walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs and Falls (SARC-F). Biochemical analyses were assessed by circulating of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, neutrophils, lymphocytes count and NLR. Sixty-eight patients were evaluated and divided into tertiles of NLR values and the association between NLR and sarcopenia risk were tested using the linear regression analyses and p < 0.05 were considered as significant.ResultsSixty-eight patients were evaluated and divided in NLR tertiles being the 1st (men = 52.2%; 71.1 ± 9.0 y; NLR: 1.1–3.85), 2nd (women = 78.3%; 73.2 ± 9.1 y; NLR: 3.9–6.0) and 3rd (men = 72.7%; 71.7 ± 10.4 y; NLR: 6.5–20.0). There was a difference between the tertiles in relation to the first to the biochemical parameters of total neutrophils count (p = 0.001), C-reactive protein (p = 0.012), and D-dimer (p = 0.012). However, no difference was found in linear regression analysis between tertiles of NLR and SARC-F, if in total sample (p = 0.054) or divided by sex, if men (p = 0.369) or women (p = 0.064).ConclusionIn elderly patients hospitalized with COVID-19, we do not find an association between the risk of sarcopenia and NLR.     

Of mitochondrion and COVID-19

COVID-19, a pandemic disease caused by a viral infection, is associated with a high mortality rate. Most of the signs and symptoms, e.g. cytokine storm, electrolytes imbalances, thromboembolism, etc., are related to mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, targeting mitochondrion will represent a more rational treatment of COVID-19. The current work outlines how COVID-19’s signs and symptoms are related to the mitochondrion. Proper understanding of the underlying causes might enhance the opportunity to treat COVID-19.     

Digging the rabbit hole,COVID-19 edition: anti-vaccine themes and the discourse around COVID-19

This article draws on a broadcast popular among the anti-vaccine community to map out six themes used by the broadcast to mislead viewers about COVID-19. The themes are the claim that “they” – government and pharma – are lying to you, claims that COVID-19 is an excuse to remove civil liberties, viewing everyone as an expert, claiming that science cannot save us, skewing the science, and a claim that “they” are out to harm the viewers. The article points out that similar themes are used to mislead followers with anti-vaccine information. It highlights the concern that these themes will not only mislead people who are already anti-vaccine about the pandemic, but may draw in people who are not anti-vaccine but are seeking information about COVID-19, and suggests some options for dealing with the misinformation. Scientists benefit from understanding these claims, as we are often tasked with providing rebuttals to this misinformation.     

Risk stratification by long non-coding RNAs profiling in COVID-19 patients

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a subclass of endogenous, non-protein-coding RNA, which lacks an open reading frame and is more than 200 nucleotides in length. However, the functions for lncRNAs in COVID-19 have not been unravelled. The present study aimed at identifying the related lncRNAs based on RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as health individuals. Overall, 17 severe, 12 non-severe patients and 10 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Firstly, we reported some altered lncRNAs between severe, non-severe COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. Next, we developed a 7-lncRNA panel with a good differential ability between severe and non-severe COVID-19 patients using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. Finally, we observed that COVID-19 is a heterogeneous disease among which severe COVID-19 patients have two subtypes with similar risk score and immune score based on lncRNA panel using iCluster algorithm. As the roles of lncRNAs in COVID-19 have not yet been fully identified and understood, our analysis should provide valuable resource and information for the future studies.     

Investigation of inflammation,oxidative stress,and DNA damage in COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 disease, which spreads worldwide, is a disease characterized by widespread inflammation and affects many organs, especially the lungs. The resulting inflammation can lead to reactive oxygen radicals, leading to oxidative DNA damage. The pneumonia severity of 95 hospitalized patients with positive RT-PCR test was determined and divided into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe/critical. Inflammation markers (neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio, serum reactive protein, procalcitonin, etc.) were determined, and IL-10 and IFN-γ measurements were analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. In evaluating oxidative damage, total thiol, native thiol, disulfide, and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels were determined by measuring spectrophotometrically. The comet assay method’s percentage of tail DNA obtained was used to determine oxidative DNA damage. As a result, when the mild and severe/critical groups were compared, we found that total thiol, native thiol, and disulfide levels decreased significantly in the severe/critical group due to the increase in inflammation markers and cytokine levels (p < 0.05). We could not detect any significance in IMA levels between the groups (p > 0.05). At the same time, we determined an increase in the tail DNA percent level, that is, DNA damage, due to the increased oxidative effect. As a result, we determined that inflammation and oxidative stress increased in patients with severe pneumonia, and there was DNA damage in these patients.     

Clinical features and hematological findings of COVID-19 patients with blood transfusion

This paper aims to illustrate the clinical characteristics, hematological findings, and blood transfusion information of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Twenty-three COVID-19 patients were treated and transfused with blood products in Wuhan First Hospital from February 12 to March 20, 2020. The patients were divided into a survivor group and a non-survivor group, respectively, according to whether the patient had been discharged or died. The results demonstrated at the time of initial blood transfusion, that the non-survivor group possessed a lower platelet (PLT) than that of the survivor group (P<0.001), and PLT were below the normal range in 6 (85.7%) non-survivor group and in 2 (12.5%) survivor group (P<0.01). Over half of these patients had abnormalities in fibrinogen (FIB), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and international normalized ratio (INR), but no significant difference was found between the non-survivor group and survivor group. The non-survivor group had a dramatically higher D-Dimers and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) scores than those of the survivor group (P<0.01). Six (85.7%) non-survivors but none of the survivors had a DIC score greater than 6 (P<0.001). Fifteen (93.8%) survivors and 2 (28.6%) non-survivors were transfused with RBC (P<0.01). The non-survivors (5/7) possessed a higher proportion for using AP than the survivors (2/16). The study suggests that COVID-19 patients who undergo blood transfusion usually possess coagulation dysfunction, and DIC may be closely related to deteriorating clinical outcomes.     

A novel penalized inverse-variance weighted estimator for Mendelian randomization with applications to COVID-19 outcomes

Mendelian randomization utilizes genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) to estimate the causal effect of an exposure variable on an outcome of interest even in the presence of unmeasured confounders. However, the popular inverse-variance weighted (IVW) estimator could be biased in the presence of weak IVs, a common challenge in MR studies. In this article, we develop a novel penalized inverse-variance weighted (pIVW) estimator, which adjusts the original IVW estimator to account for the weak IV issue by using a penalization approach to prevent the denominator of the pIVW estimator from being close to zero. Moreover, we adjust the variance estimation of the pIVW estimator to account for the presence of balanced horizontal pleiotropy. We show that the recently proposed debiased IVW (dIVW) estimator is a special case of our proposed pIVW estimator. We further prove that the pIVW estimator has smaller bias and variance than the dIVW estimator under some regularity conditions. We also conduct extensive simulation studies to demonstrate the performance of the proposed pIVW estimator. Furthermore, we apply the pIVW estimator to estimate the causal effects of five obesity-related exposures on three coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. Notably, we find that hypertensive disease is associated with an increased risk of hospitalized COVID-19; and peripheral vascular disease and higher body mass index are associated with increased risks of COVID-19 infection, hospitalized COVID-19, and critically ill COVID-19.     

Bacterial and fungal co-infections among COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit

This study aimed to investigate the frequency and characteristics of respiratory co-infections in COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). In this retrospective observational study, pathogens responsible for potential co-infections were detected by the bacterial culture, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), or serological fungal antigen tests. Demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as microbial results, were analyzed. Bacterial culture identified 56 (58.3%) positive samples for respiratory pathogens, with the most common bacteria being Burkholderia cepacia (18, 18.8%). RT-PCR detected 38 (76.0%) and 58 (87.9%) positive results in the severe and critical groups, respectively. Most common pathogens detected were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (28.0%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28.0%) in the severe group and S. maltophilia (45.5%) in the critical group. P. aeruginosa was detected more during the early stage after ICU admission. Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus were more frequently identified during late ICU admission. Fungal serum antigens were more frequently positive in the critical group than in the severe group, and the positive rate of fungal serum antigens frequency increased with prolonged ICU stay. A high frequency of respiratory co-infections presented in ICU COVID-19 patients. Careful examinations and necessary tests should be performed to exclude these co-infections.     

Role of biochemical markers in the monitoring of COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARSCoV-2 virus, which has given rise to a global sanitary emergency. The clinical characteristics of COVID-19 are varied and can range from an asymptomatic infection to a mild to severe pneumonia. Recent studies have shown that different laboratory parameters become altered in these patients, and as such are useful as biomarkers to assess the progression of the disease and categorize patients that may present a severe and/or fatal clinical condition. This review analyzes biochemical and immunological markers that become altered in COVID-19 patients and their impact on different organs at a hepatic, cardiac, renal and pancreatic level, as well as markers of inflammation, analyzing their implications in the evolution of the disease.