Abstract
Background
Since its first description, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), formerly known as 2019-nCoV, has attracted tremendous attention in a short period of time as the death toll and number of confirmed cases grows unceasingly.
Methods
To provide a better understanding of the importance of abnormal laboratory findings in COVID-19 diagnosis and prognosis, we searched the Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science medical databases and selected 19 articles (totaling 2988 patients, 484 of whom [16.1%] had severe disease) that reported panels of laboratory examinations in patients with COVID-19.
Results
Although in vitro diagnostics, primarily using PCR- and ELISA-based methods, efficiently contribute to the etiological identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we suggest that laboratory medicine may also be of significant assistance when differentiating between severe and non-severe COVID-19.
Conclusion
When we wrote this article, our ability to provide a definitive conclusion may have been adversely affected by some limitations, such as the low sample size, differently applied methods, dissimilar reference ranges, non-synchronized representations of results, and variety of the patients’ panels. Despite the limitations, the analysis of the current scientific literature demonstrates the value of laboratory parameters as simple, rapid, and cost-effective biomarkers in COVID-19 patients.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, Prognosis, Diagnosis, laboratory findings, 【초록키워드】 Biomarker, SARS-COV-2 infection, 2019-nCoV, in vitro, database, diagnostics, Laboratory, PCR, COVID-19 diagnosis, death, patients, COVID-19 patients, Analysis, severe disease, confirmed case, acute respiratory syndrome, Web of Science, Sample size, reference ranges, article, limitations, laboratory parameter, Result, selected, affected, reported, applied, searched, contribute, variety, etiological, patients with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19 diagnosis,