Indian Journal of Medical Biochemistry

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VOLUME 24 , ISSUE 2 ( May-August, 2020 ) > List of Articles

REVIEW ARTICLE

Laboratory Changes in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Review

Devesh Sharma

Citation Information : Sharma D. Laboratory Changes in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Review. Indian J Med Biochem 2020; 24 (2):62-65.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10054-0142

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-12-2020

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2020; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim: To review the updated literature to find out the biochemical and hematological changes that occur in the SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection that is causing the ongoing global pandemic. Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 infection began in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province, and within a few months, by March 2019, it had taken the shape of a pandemic. Six months down the road, knowledge about the pathogenesis of this infection has grown rapidly. Although it is predominantly a respiratory infection, COVID-19 is now known to affect almost every organ of the body. The unpredictable clinical course has been attributed to multiple biochemical and hematological changes that are caused by the COVID-19 virus. Review results: An in-depth analysis of recently published data has highlighted that various biochemical and hematological alterations can be attributed to COVID-19 infection. These include hypoalbuminemia, reduced number of lymphocytes, elevated levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), homocysteine, and biomarkers such as ferritin. Other parameters such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, Procalcitonin (PCT), D-Dimer, neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and angiotensin II correlate with the extent of viral load and predicted the course of the disease. Conclusion: Knowledge about the alteration biochemical and hematological markers in the COVID-19 infection is helpful in the estimation of the extent of viral load and in the prediction of the clinical course of the infection. Clinical significance: Monitoring the biochemical and hematological biomarkers, especially, CRP, ferritin, LDH, D-Dimer, and NLR, is useful for triaging patients infected with COVID-19 early in the course of disease and thus may prevent disease progression by the institution of early interventions.


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