Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has affected countless
countries all over the world with rapidly increasing case fatality
reports and a highly variable clinical course. Since the evolution of
the clinical condition of these patients is difficult to forecast, early
identification of prognostic indicators is an essential foundation to
regulate treatment plans and promptly identify the severity of patients’
conditions. Aim: To assess the correlation between CRP level on
admission with the severity of the COVID-19, the risk for ICU admission
and the findings in CT chest Method A retrospective cohort study where
the clinical data of 276 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19
infection were collected from El Obour Ain Shams University Specialized
Hospital for Isolation records on admission from April 10, 2020 till
July 30, 2020. Results Fever was the most common presenting symptom
(total number 135; 41.7%), followed by cough (total number 133;
41.2%). High CRP levels were predictive of higher COVID-19 severity and
ICU admission (p=0.000). Likewise, CRP levels were higher in patients
with more chest affection as denoted by the CT chest findings (p=0.000).
Conclusion Serum CRP is a simple and effective prognosticator which
casts light on potentially critical patients. Consequently, it can be
used to reduce the mortality of patients. Keywords: COVID-19, Hospital,
CRP, ICU, severity.