Background and study aim: COVID-19 mortality, severity, and recovery are major global concerns, but they are still ‎insufficiently understood, particularly in the Middle East. This retrospective study aimed to ‎investigate the link between baseline clinical and laboratory data of COVID-19 patients and ‎disease severity and mortality‎‎‎.
Patients and Methods: ‎‎‎ A total of 180 adult Egyptian COVID-19 patients were compared according to their disease ‎severity and mortality ‎‎.‎
Results: The Of all, 27.8% had severe disease, and 13.9% died during their hospital stay. Diabetes (46.7%), ‎hypertension (36.1%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (33.3%) were the most ‎frequent associated co-morbidities. Severe patients and non-survivors were significantly older ‎compared to their corresponding groups. Their neutrophil count, PCT, ESR, CRP, AST, ALT, ‎LDH, D-dimer, and ferritin levels were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05). In contrast, their ‎lymphocyte count was significantly lower (P ≤ 0.05). COPD (OR: 3.294; 95% CI: 1.199-9.053), ‎diabetes (OR: 2.951; 95% CI:1.070-8.137), ferritin ≥ 350 ng/mL (OR: 11.08; 95% CI: 2.796-‎‎41.551), AST ≥ 40 IU/L (OR: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.842-7.991), CT-scoring system (CT-SS) ≥ 17 (OR: ‎‎1.205; 95% CI: 1.089-1.334) and lymphocyte count < 1×103/µL (OR: 4.002; 95% CI: 1.537-‎‎10.421), were all linked to higher COVID-19 severity. While mortality was predicted by dyspnea ‎‎(OR: 4.006; 95% CI: 1.045-15.359), CT-SS ≥ 17 (OR: 1.271; 95% CI: 1.091-1.482) and AST ≥ ‎‎40 IU/L (OR: 2.89; 95% CI: 1.091-7.661)‎‎.
Conclusion: Clinical and laboratory data of COVID-19 patients at their hospital admission may aid in ‎identifying early risk factors for severe illness and mortality rates ‎‎‎‎‎‎.