The role of laboratory biomarkers in diagnostics and management of COVID-19 patients

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of a highly transmittable and heterogenic infection of the respiratory tract, characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations with a different degree of severity. Medical laboratories play an important role in early diagnosis and management of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Indeed, the results of several laboratory tests are essential for assessing the severity of the disease, selecting appropriate therapeutic procedures and monitoring treatment response. Routine laboratory testing in COVID-19 patients includes biomarkers of acute phase reaction, hematological and biochemical parameters that indicate tissue injury. The aim of this review paper is to describe the role of these biomarkers in the diagnostics and management of adult and pediatric COVID-19 patients.

Novi koronavirus SARS-CoV-2 je uzročnik lako prenosive i veoma heterogene infekcije respiratornog trakta, koju karakteriše širok spektar kliničkih manifestacija, različitog stepena težine. Medicinske laboratorije igraju važnu ulogu u ranoj dijagnostici i praćenju pacijenata sa COVID-19. Rezultati nekoliko laboratorijskih testova su od suštinskog značaja za procenu težine bolesti, odabir odgovarajućih terapijskih procedura i praćenje odgovora na terapiju. Rutinska laboratorijska ispitivanja kod pacijenata sa COVID-19 uključuju biomarkere akutne faze, hematološke i biohemijske parametre koji ukazuju na oštećenje tkiva. Cilj ovog rada je da se prikaže uloga tih biomarkera u dijagnostici i praćenju toka bolesti kod odraslih i pedijatrijskih pacijenata sa COVID-19.