Lactate-dehydrogenase associated with mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Mexico: a multi-centre retrospective cohort study

Abstract

\n Introduction and Objectives\n As of January 2021, over 88 million people have been infected with COVID-19. Almost two million people have died of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A high SOFA score and a D-Dimer >1\u2009µg/mL identifies patients with high risk of mortality. High lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels on admission are associated with severity and mortality. Different degrees of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) abnormalities have been reported in these patients, its association with a mortality risk remains controversial. The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between LDH and in-hospital mortality in Mexican patients admitted with COVID-19.\n \n Materials & Methods\n We performed a retrospective multi-centre cohort study with 377 hospitalized patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in three centres in Mexico City, Mexico, who were ≥18 years old and died or were discharged between April 1 and May 31, 2020.\n \n Results\n A total of 377 patients were evaluated, 298 (79.1%) patients were discharged, and 79 (20.9%) patients died during hospitalization. Non-survivors were older, with a median age of 46.7\u2009±\u200925.7 years old, most patients were male. An ALT\u2009>\u200961 U/l (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.27-9.37; p\u2009=\u20090.015), C-reactive protein (CRP) > 231\u2009mg/l (OR 4.71, 95% CI 2.35-9.46; p\u2009=\u20090.000), LDH\u2009>\u2009561 U/l (OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.40-6.55; p\u2009=\u20090.005) were associated with higher odds for in-hospital death.\n \n Conclusions\n Our results indicate that higher levels of LDH, CRP, and ALT are associated with higher in-hospital mortality risk in Mexican patients admitted with COVID-19.\n