The relationship between micronutrient status, frailty, systemic inflammation, and clinical outcomes in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Micronutrients have been associated with disease severity and poorer clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. However, there is a paucity of studies examining if the relationship with micronutrient status and clinical outcomes is independent of recognised prognostic factors, specifically frailty and the systemic inflammatory response (SIR). The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between micronutrient status, frailty, systemic inflammation, and clinical outcomes in patients admitted with COVID-19. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was performed on patients with confirmed COVID-19, admitted to hospital between the 1st April 2020-6th July 2020. Clinicopathological characteristics, frailty assessment, biochemical and micronutrient laboratory results were recorded. Frailty status was determined using the Clinical Frailty scale. SIR was determined using serum CRP. Clinical outcomes of interest were oxygen requirement, ITU admission and 30-day mortality. Categorical variables were analysed using chi-square test and binary logistics regression analysis. Continuous variables were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal Wallis tests. RESULTS: 281 patients were included. 55% (n = 155) were aged ≥ 70 years and 39% (n = 109) were male. 49% (n = 138) of patients were frail (CFS > 3). 86% (n = 242) of patients had a serum CRP > 10 mg/L. On univariate analysis, frailty was significantly associated with thirty-day mortality (p < 0.001). On univariate analysis, serum CRP was found to be significantly associated with an oxygen requirement on admission in non-frail patients (p = 0.004). Over a third (36%) of non-frail patients had a low vitamin B1, despite having normal reference range values of red cell B2, B6 and selenium. Furthermore, serum CRP was found to be significantly associated with a lower median red cell vitamin B1 (p = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Vitamin B1 stores may be depleted in COVID-19 patients experiencing a significant SIR and providing rationale for thiamine supplementation. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to delineate the trend in thiamine status following COVID-19.

The relationship between frailty, nutritional status, co-morbidity, CT-body composition and systemic inflammation in patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Frailty, determined by the Canadian Study of Health and Aging-Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), is strongly associated with clinical outcomes including mortality in patients with COVID-19. However, the relationship between frailty and other recognised prognostic factors including age, nutritional status, obesity, sarcopenia and systemic inflammation is poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between frailty and other prognostic domains, in patients admitted with COVID-19. METHODS: Patients who presented to our institutions between 1st April 2020-6th July 2020 with confirmed COVID-19 were assessed for inclusion. Data collected included general demographic details, clinicopathological variables, CFS admission assessment, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), CT-BC measurements and markers of systemic inflammation. RESULTS: 106 patients met the study inclusion criteria. The majority of patients were aged ≥ 70 years (67%), male (53%) and frail (scoring > 3 on the CFS, 72%). The majority of patients were not malnourished (MUST 0, 58%), had ≥ 1 co-morbidity (87%), were sarcopenic (low SMI, 80%) and had systemic inflammation (mGPS ≥ 1, 81%, NLR > 5, 55%). On multivariate binary logistics regression analysis, age (p < 0.01), COPD (p < 0.05) and NLR (p < 0.05) remained independently associated with frailty. On univariate binary logistics regression, NLR (p < 0.05) was significantly associated with 30-day mortality. CONCLUSION: Frailty was independently associated with age, co-morbidity, and systemic inflammation. The basis of the relationship between frailty and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 requires further study. Trial registration Registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04484545).

Relation Between Body Composition, Systemic Inflammatory Response, and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Admitted to an Urban Teaching Hospital with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has been associated with cases of severe respiratory illness, admissions to intensive therapy units (ITUs), and high mortality rates. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to examine the relation between computed tomography- body composition (CT-BC) measurements, systemic inflammation, and clinical outcomes in those with COVID-19. METHODS: Patients who presented to our institution between March 17 and May 1, 2020, with a positive PCR test for COVID-19 or characteristic radiological changes, were assessed for inclusion. Data collected included general demographic details, clinicopathological variables, poGPS, NLR , CT-BC measurements, and clinical outcomes including ITU admission and 30-d mortality, of those admitted. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients met the study inclusion criteria. Forty-two patients (67%) were aged ≥70 y, 30 (47.6%) were male and 34.9% ( n = 22) had a poGPS ≥1. ITU admission was significantly associated with a high VFA ( P < 0.05). Thirty-day mortality was associated with high VFA (P < 0.05) and low SMI (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia in the presence of obesity was associated with clinical outcomes including greater 30-d mortality.

The systemic inflammatory response and clinicopathological characteristics in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 infection: Comparison of 2 consecutive cohorts.

BACKGROUND: In order to manage the COVID-19 systemic inflammatory response, it is important to identify clinicopathological characteristics across multiple cohorts. METHODS: The aim of the present study was to compare the 4C mortality score, other measures of the systemic inflammatory response and clinicopathological characteristics in two consecutive cohorts of patients on admission with COVID-19. Electronic patient records for 2 consecutive cohorts of patients admitted to two urban teaching hospitals with COVID-19 during two 7-week periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in Glasgow, U.K. (cohort 1: 17/3/2020-1/5/2020) and (cohort 2: 18/5/2020-6/7/2020) were examined for routine clinical, laboratory and clinical outcome data. RESULTS: Compared with cohort 1, cohort 2 were older (p<0.001), more likely to be female (p<0.05) and have less independent living circumstances (p<0.001). More patients in cohort 2 were PCR positive, CXR negative (both p<0.001) and had low serum albumin concentrations (p<0.001). 30-day mortality was similar between both cohorts (23% and 22%). In cohort 2, age >70 (p<0.05), male gender (p<0.05), COPD (p<0.05), cognitive impairment (p<0.05), frailty (p<0.001), delirium (p = 0.001), CRP>150mg/L (p<0.05), albumin <30 g/L (p<0.01), elevated perioperative Glasgow Prognostic Score (p<0.05), elevated neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (p<0.001), low haematocrit (p<0.01), elevated PT (p<0.05), sodium <133 mmol/L (p<0.01) elevated urea (p<0.001), creatinine (p<0.001), glucose (p<0.05) and lactate (p<0.001) and the 4C score (p<0.001) were associated with 30-day mortality. In multivariate analysis, greater frailty (CFS>3) (OR 11.3, 95% C.I. 2.3-96.7, p<0.05), low albumin (<30g/L) (OR 2.5, 95% C.I. 1.0-6.2, p<0.05), high NLR (≥3) (OR 2.2, 95% C.I. 1.5-4.5, p<0.05) and the 4C score (OR 2.4, 95% C.I. 1.0-5.6, p<0.05) remained independently associated with 30-day mortality. CONCLUSION: In addition to the 4C mortality score, frailty score and a low albumin were strongly independently associated with 30-day mortality in two consecutive cohorts of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04484545.

Prognostic factors in patients admitted to an urban teaching hospital with COVID-19 infection.

BACKGROUND: Severe COVID-19 infection results in a systemic inflammatory response (SIRS). This SIRS response shares similarities to the changes observed during the peri-operative period that are recognised to be associated with the development of multiple organ failure. METHODS: Electronic patient records for patients who were admitted to an urban teaching hospital during the initial 7-week period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Glasgow, U.K. (17th March 2020-1st May 2020) were examined for routine clinical, laboratory and clinical outcome data. Age, sex, BMI and documented evidence of COVID-19 infection at time of discharge or death certification were considered minimal criteria for inclusion. RESULTS: Of the 224 patients who fulfilled the criteria for inclusion, 52 (23%) had died at 30-days following admission. COVID-19 related respiratory failure (75%) and multiorgan failure (12%) were the commonest causes of death recorded. Age ≥ 70 years (p < 0.001), past medical history of cognitive impairment (p ≤ 0.001), previous delirium (p < 0.001), clinical frailty score > 3 (p < 0.001), hypertension (p < 0.05), heart failure (p < 0.01), national early warning score (NEWS) > 4 (p < 0.01), positive CXR (p < 0.01), and subsequent positive COVID-19 swab (p ≤ 0.001) were associated with 30-day mortality. CRP > 80 mg/L (p < 0.05), albumin < 35 g/L (p < 0.05), peri-operative Glasgow Prognostic Score (poGPS) (p < 0.05), lymphocytes < 1.5 109/l (p < 0.05), neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (p ≤ 0.001), haematocrit (< 0.40 L/L (male)/ < 0.37 L/L (female)) (p ≤ 0.01), urea > 7.5 mmol/L (p < 0.001), creatinine > 130 mmol/L (p < 0.05) and elevated urea: albumin ratio (< 0.001) were also associated with 30-day mortality. On multivariate analysis, age ≥ 70 years (O.R. 3.9, 95% C.I. 1.4-8.2, p < 0.001), past medical history of heart failure (O.R. 3.3, 95% C.I. 1.2-19.3, p < 0.05), NEWS > 4 (O.R. 2.4, 95% C.I. 1.1-4.4, p < 0.05), positive initial CXR (O.R. 0.4, 95% C.I. 0.2-0.9, p < 0.05) and poGPS (O.R. 2.3, 95% C.I. 1.1-4.4, p < 0.05) remained independently associated with 30-day mortality. Among those patients who tested PCR COVID-19 positive (n = 122), age ≥ 70 years (O.R. 4.7, 95% C.I. 2.0-11.3, p < 0.001), past medical history of heart failure (O.R. 4.4, 95% C.I. 1.2-20.5, p < 0.05) and poGPS (O.R. 2.4, 95% C.I. 1.1-5.1, p < 0.05) remained independently associated with 30-days mortality. CONCLUSION: Age ≥ 70 years and severe systemic inflammation as measured by the peri-operative Glasgow Prognostic Score are independently associated with 30-day mortality among patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 infection.