Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and genetic risk factors associated with COVID-19 severity in adults: A narrative review
Helena Martynowicz, Anna Jodkowska, Rafał Poręba, Grzegorz Mazur, Mieszko Więckiewicz
Abstract
Since the first report on it in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread throughout the world. Due to the lack of effective therapy available for COVID-19 patients, the identification of risk factors for the severe course of the disease is a matter of urgency. Therefore, the aim of this review was to report on evidence-based risk factors affecting the severity and prognosis of COVID-19. We searched the PubMed database for current literature to identify relevant publications concerning risk factors for COVID-19 severity. Demographic and social factors (age, gender, race, in-center communities/nursing homes), clinical factors (smoking, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, chronic lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases - CVD, chronic kidney disease - CKD, malignancies, dementia, cardiomyopathies, immunocompromised state), laboratory markers (C-reactive protein - CRP, leukocytosis, ferritin, interleukin (IL)-6, D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase - LDH, aspartate aminotransferase - AST, procalcitonin, creatinine, lymphopenia, IL-2, IL-7, IL-10, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor - G-CSF, also known as colony-stimulating factor 3 - CSF 3, interferon gamma-inducible protein-10 - IP-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 - MCP-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha - MIP1A, tumor necrosis factor alpha - TNF-α), and genetic factors related to both the virus and the host were discussed. The identification of the potential risk factors affecting the severity and prognosis of COVID-19 may provide a chance for earlier and more effective management of COVID-19.