Association of inflammatory markers with the severity of COVID-19: a meta-analysis

Highlights

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  Monitoring the severity of COVID-19 is imperative to reduce the poor outcome.

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  An overview of the association of inflammatory markers with severity of COVID-19.

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  CRP, PCT, IL-6, ESR, SAA, and serum ferritin are indicators for severity of COVID-19.

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  Measurement of inflammatory markers assists to monitor the severity of COVID-19.

Abstract

Objectives

Studies reported associations of inflammatory markers with the severity of COVID-19, but conclusions were inconsistent. We aimed to provide an overview of the association of inflammatory markers with severity of COVID-19.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wanfang and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database until March 20, 2020. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random or fixed-effects models.

Results

A total of 16 studies comprising of 3962 patients with COVID-19 were included in our analysis. Random-effect results demonstrated that patients with COVID-19 in nonsevere group had lower levels for CRP (WMD = -41.78 mg/l, 95% CI = [-52.43, -31.13], P < 0.001), PCT (WMD = -0.13 ng/ml, 95% CI = [-0.20, -0.05], P < 0.001), IL-6 (WMD = -21.32 ng/l, 95% CI = [-28.34, -14.31], P < 0.001), ESR (WMD = −8 mm/h, 95% CI = [-14, -2], P = 0.005), SAA (WMD = -43.35 μg/ml, 95% CI = [-80.85, -5.85], P = 0.020) and serum ferritin (WMD = -398.80 mg/l, 95% CI = [-625.89, -171.71], P < 0.001), compared with those in severe group. Moreover, survivors had a lower level for IL-6 than non-survivors (WMD = -4.80 ng/ml, 95% CI = [-5.87, -3.73], P < 0.001). These results were consistent through sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessment.

Conclusions

The meta-analysis highlights the association of inflammatory markers with the severity of COVID-19. Measurement of inflammatory markers might assist clinicians to monitor and evaluate the severity and prognosis of COVID-19.