Evaluation of the Clinical and Biochemical Parameters of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective,
Single-Center Study from Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Anela Šubo¹, Amela Dervišević², Zulejha Omerbašić¹, Muhamed El-Amin Zeid¹,
Selma Spahić², Almir Fajkić³, Damir Suljević⁴

 

¹General Hospital "Prim. dr Abdulah Nakaš", Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
²University of Sarajevo, Medical Faculty, Department of Human Physiology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
³University of Sarajevo, Medical Faculty, Department of Pathophysiology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
⁴University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

SUMMARY

 

 Background/Aim. For the first time, we evaluated and presented the socio-demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients from Canton Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Methods. This retrospective, single-centre study included 159 RT-PCR verified COVID-19 patients (92 mild/moderate; 67 severe/critical) consecutively hospitalized at the General Hospital "Prim. dr Abdulah Nakaš" in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Socio-demographic, clinical, and laboratory data on admission were retrospectively obtained from each patient's electronic medical record and patient files by two experienced physicians.
Results. 43.4% of the patients belonged to the age range of 46-65 years; 71.1% were men, and 68.6% had comorbidities; hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (100%), followed by diabetes (91.7%) and ischemic heart disease (35.8%). The leading clinical symptoms were fever (87.44%), tiredness (77.8%), and body/muscle aches (70.3%). There was significant reduction of blood oxygen saturation (p = 0.005), and significant elevation of D-dimer (p = 0.003), CRP (p = 0.044), and fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.047) in the severe/critical patients group compared to mild/moderate group.
Conclusion. Older age, the male gender, confirmed comorbidities, decreased blood oxygen saturation, increased levels of CRP, D-dimer, and fasting plasma glucose, together with symptoms of chest pain/shortness of breath and/or diarrhea occurred more frequently in severe/critical than mild/moderate COVID-19 patients.

 

Keywords: COVID‐19; SARS-CoV-2; Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Corresponding author:

Damir Suljević

e-mail: suljevic.damir@gmail.com