The Demographic, Clinical, and Medical Manifestations of Pulmonary Thromboembolism Development in Covid-19 Publisher



Sadeghi S^{1, 2} ; Nasirian M^{1, 3} ; Keivany E^{4, 5} ; Nasri P^{6, 7} ; Mirenayat MS⁸ Show Affiliations
Source: Blood Research Published:2021

Abstract

Background Since the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), various clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to severe, life-threatening courses have been presented. It is well known that COVID-19 patients are at an increased risk of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) development; however, the associated demographic, medical, and clinical factors for developing PTE remain unknown. The current study aimed to assess the characteristics of patients with PTE. Methods This case-control study was derived from an ongoing population-based investigation of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The case group included 99 patients with PTE confirmed by computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), and the controls (N=132) were age-matched patients selected from the PTE-suspected patients with a negative CTPA. The demographic, medical, and clinical characteristics of the study population were entered into the study checklist and compared. A logistic regression test was used to determine the factors associated with PTE development. Results Among the 13,099 admitted patients, 690 (5.26%) were suspected of having PTE according to their clinical manifestations. CTPA was performed for suspected cases, and PTE was confirmed in 132 patients (19.13%). Logistic regression assessments revealed that male gender (OR, 2.39; 95%CI, 1.38-4.13), decreased oxygen saturation (OR, 2.33; 95%CI, 1.27-4.26), and lower hemoglobin (OR, 0.83, 0.95), and albumin (OR, 0.31; 95%CI, 0.18-0.53) levels were associated with PTE development. Conclusion PTE was confirmed in one-fifth of suspected patients who underwent CTPA imaging. Male sex, decreased oxygen saturation, and lower levels of hemoglobin and albumin were independent predictors of PTE in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. © 2021 Korean Society of Hematology.