COVID-19 and coagulation profile: a retrospective case control study

The COVID-19 virus can initiate a coagulation cascade leading to clot formation and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), raising alarms among healthcare professionals about managing severe cases and underscoring the need for a comprehensive understanding of its mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. This study examines the coagulation parameters and D-Dimer levels in confirmed COVID-19 patients in contrast healthy controls. A retrospective case control study was conducted at the Riyadh Regional Laboratory Centre in Saudi Arabia, involving 384 confirmed COVID-19 patients and an equivalent control group of non-COVID-19 individuals matched for age, gender and nationality/ethnicity. Data on demographics and laboratory results were extracted from electronic medical records. A comparative examination of coagulation factors utilizing standard methodologies for D-Dimer, Prothrombin Time (PT), activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) and International Normalized Ratio (INR) levels was conducted between individuals diagnosed with nasopharyngeal swab samples by real time- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from COVID-19 patients and non-COVID-19 individuals. Our study indicated a significant increase in the mean values of PT, APTT and D-dimer in COVID-19 positive patients than non-COVID-19 individuals. Conversely, the mean values of INR were markedly reduced in COVID-19 positive patients compared to non-COVID-19 individuals. COVID-19 patients exhibit significant abnormalities in blood coagulation profile relative to non-COVID-19 individuals. The research indicates that elevated levels of D-Dimer, PT, and APTT may serve as indicators of disease severity and prognostic markers in COVID-19 patients.