Background: A respiratory and systemic illness called COVID-19 has affected millions of people all over the world. A specific proportion of patients develop a very serious illness condition that necessitates intensive care and invasive ventilation.
Objective: To evaluate the predictive significance of procalcitonin (PCT) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) for the severity of illness and prognosis in COVID-19 patients hospitalised to the (ICU) at Minia University Hospital in Egypt.
Patients and Methods: The 90 participants in this study were separated into three groups: The P/F ratio (arterial PO2 ("P") from the ABG divided by the FIO2 ("F") - the fraction (percent) of inspired oxygen) was used to classify patients with ARDS according to severity. Group I (Patient group): included fifty (50) patients admitted to ICU diagnosed COVID-19 patients by PCR test and were further divided into three sub groups (group Ia; moderate cases; group Ib; severe cases; and group Ic. Group II (control group) consisted of forty seemingly healthy people who had the same age and sex.
Results: PCT, IL-6, and serum ferritin levels were all noticeably higher in the patient groups than in the control groups. A significant p value (p=0.0001) was found for each of the high positive correlations between IL-6 and ferritin, D-dimer, and CRP (r=0.722, 0.801, and 0.792, respectively) and there was moderate negative association between IL-6 and absolute lymphocytic count (r=-0.517). A significant p value (p=0.0001) was found for each of the strong positive correlations between procalcitonin and ferritin, D-dimer, and CRP (r=0.703, 0.721, and 0.711, respectively) and there was moderate negative association between procalcitonin and absolute lymphocytic count.
Conclusion: According to the study's findings, PCT and IL-6 levels are suitable prognostic indicators in COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized to the ICU, indicating a severe illness course and unfavorable outcome.