Predictive value of ferritin, glucose, urea, and creatinine for COVID-19 severity and mortality in patients from Asir, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To correlate demographics, blood groupings, and laboratory characteristics of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with disease severity and outcomes. Methods: This study included 294 COVID-19 patients. Data on patient age, gender, laboratory results, clinical severity, mortality, comorbidities, and blood group were obtained from medical records retrospectively. Results: High levels of ferritin (p<0.01), urea (p<0.0001), and creatinine (p<0.05) were detected in intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted patients. Ferritin (p<0.05), glucose (p<0.0001), urea (p<0.0001), and creatinine (p<0.0001) were significantly higher in non-survivor compared to survivor COVID-19 patients. Predictors for ICU admission among patients were ferritin (odd ratio [OR]=0.999, p=0.0055) and urea (OR=0.991, p=0.0001). Predictors for mortality were: age (OR=0.963, p=0.0001), ferritin (OR=0.999, p=0.0149), glucose (OR=0.993, p=0.0001), urea (OR=0.976, p=0.0001), and creatinine (OR=0.556, p=0.0001). The most reliable laboratory parameters in predicting mortality were: age (area under the curve [AUC]=0.685, p<0.0001), ferritin (AUC=0.610, p<0.05), glucose (AUC=0.681, p<0.0001), urea (AUC=0.856, p<0.0001), and creatinine (AUC=0.823, p<0.0001). Conclusion: High ferritin, glucose, urea, and creatinine levels may predict poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients. These findings could help predict admissions to the ICU and mortality among such patients.