Evaluation of the relationship between C-reactive protein/ albumin ratio and hospitalization in novel coronavirus disease 2019

Abstract

Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a global pandemic with catastrophic consequences for healthcare systems causing serious respiratory illness, was first reported in China. Early identification of severe illness is critical for controlling it and improving the prognosis of patients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of Creactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio and to investigate the usability of this ratio in COVID-19. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 1077 patients. The statistical significance was calculated using Mann-Whitney U test. The correlations between CRP/albumin ratio and other datas were evaluated by Spearman’s rho test. We evaluated the prognostic value of CRP/albumin ratio using the Chi-Square test and Cox regression analysis. Results: Higher CRP/albumin ratio levels were associated with long-term hospitalization in COVID-19. When the results of the receiver operating characteristic analysis were examined for all laboratory parameters, the area under the curve value of the CRP/albumin ratio, procalcitonin, CRP, and albumin were 0.85, 0.64, 0.86, and 0.81, respectively. The survival mortality cut-off value for CRP/albumin ratio was determined as 1.895. When evaluated by Cox regression analysis (cutoff value: 1.895, p<0.0001), the CRP/albumin ratio was found to be independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: We showed that the CRP/albumin ratio is a useful prognostic marker this marker can be used in predicting the severity of COVID-19.