Comparison between D-dimer levels in diabetic and non-diabetic positive COVID-19 adult patients: A hospital-based study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is one of the most common associated comorbidity with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia patients. Coagulation disorders with D-dimer levels are increased in both diseases. This study aimed to compare the levels of D-dimer in DM and non-DM patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and correlate it with the disease severity. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional hospital-based study. It was conducted at royal care hospital, isolation COVID-19 Centre in 2021. The study included 130 patients with COVID-19 who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Data were collected through a structured datasheet. The disease was diagnosed by a nasal swab polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Participants were divided into diabetics and non-diabetics depending on the history from the datasheet. The data were analysed with Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 23. RESULTS: The study showed that 73.1% of the participants were males and 26.9% were females. The most frequent age group was >65 years. The percentages of diabetics and non-diabetics, among the study participants, were found to be 41.5% and 58.5%, respectively. Moreover, 52.3% were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). This study revealed that D-dimer was higher compared with diabetes mellitus. The diabetics were associated with higher levels of D-dimer compared to non-diabetics. Regarding the correlation between the level of D-dimer and severity of COVID-19, it was found that there is a significant association, as the ICU patients were associated with higher levels of D-dimer in comparison with non-ICU patients. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that there is a significant association between the high D-dimer level and severity of COVID-19 among diabetic patients.

Analysis of Serum Immune Markers in Seropositive and Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis Among Sudanese Patients and the Relation Between the Serotype and Joint Involvement: A Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of the synovial membrane. RA is classified as seropositive or seronegative, according to the absence or presence of primarily IgM RF, RF, and/or ACPA. The aim of this study is to identify the relationship between the serotype of rheumatoid arthritis and the level of ESR. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study done in Omdurman military hospital, Khartoum, Sudan. Conducted with 60 patients with RA, data were collected through a designated questionnaire which included demographic, age, gender, duration of the disease, laboratory finding. All the patients in the study were treated with conventional DMARDs and diagnosed according to the 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria; their disease activity status was assessed by DAS28/ESR. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. RESULTS: The study found that 91.7% of the patients were females, patients of age group between 36 and 50 years had the highest percentage at 38.3% followed by those between 51 and 70 years and the least age group between 20 and 35 years, 36.7% and 15%, respectively. Of all the patients 61.7% were found to be SPRA, while the remaining 38.3% were seronegative (SNRA). Altogether 55% of the patients had moderate disease activity, followed by 16.7% who had a remission, 15% had high disease activity and the remaining 13.3% had low disease activity. The metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint was found to be the only joint that was significantly associated with DAS28 and its involvement was greater among seropositive patients. The most affected joints were found to be shoulders, knees, wrist, MCP, PIP and elbow, in that order. CONCLUSION: Females, middle-age group and shoulder joint were the most affected. Most RA was found to be SPRA, and the seropositive group was found to be more associated with high disease activity, while the seronegative group was associated with remission and low disease activity.