Abstract
Objective: The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) rapidly
escalated from its origin in an animal market in Wuhan, China in
December 2019 to a global pandemic, and the lungs are the most
frequently affected organ. The aim of this study was to investigate the
relationship between pulmonary function test parameters and laboratory
parameters in COVID-19.
Method : A total of 60 patients who were admitted to the chest
diseases department and intensive care unit of our hospital and were
diagnosed with COVID-19 by real-time PCR analysis of nasopharyngeal
swabs were evaluated. Pulmonary function tests and laboratory parameters
at admission and on day 7 of treatment were analyzed.
Results: On day 7 of treatment, white blood cell count, CRP,
and fibrinogen level were significantly lower than at admission
(p=0.002, 0.001, and 0.001, respectively), while forced expiratory
volume in the first second (FEV1) and forced vital
capacity (FVC) values were significantly higher compared to admitting
values (p=0.001 for both). Correlation analysis of the changes in
respiratory function values and laboratory parameters during follow-up
(day 1 to day 7 of treatment) revealed that CRP level was positively
correlated with FEV1 (r=0.616, p=0.01) and FVC values
(r=0.51, p=0.01). Fibrinogen level was also positively correlated with
FEV1 (r=0.345, p=0.01) and FVC (r=0.357, p=0.01).
Conclusion: Fibrinogen and CRP levels are easily accessible
parameters that may help identify improvement or deterioration in
pulmonary function in COVID-19 patients during follow-up and discharge
while reducing the risk of transmission.
Keywords: COVID-19, laboratory parameters, pulmonary function
tests