association of lipid profile and inflammatory markers with covid-19 severity and outcome

Background: covid-19 is a highly contagious disease that has already affected millions of people worldwide. proinflammatory cytokines in covid-19 infection change lipid metabolism and profile. this study investigates the association between lipid profile and inflammatory markers with the severity and outcome of covid-19 patients referred to a teaching hospital in mazandaran province, iran, during april-may and july-august 2020. methods: this study was conducted on 140 patients with covid-19 based on their clinical symptoms, imaging results, and laboratory findings. patients were categorized as severe and non-severe groups based on the centers for disease control and prevention criteria. blood samples (5-7 ml) were collected from patients after 12 hours of fasting. serum triglycerides, cholesterol, highdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol (hdl-c), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (ldl-c) levels were measured using pars azmoon kits (hitachi ltd). results: of 140 covid-19 patients, 33.57% had severe and 66.43% had non-severe disease. patients with severe disease had a significantly lower mean ldl serum level than those with non-severe involvement (56.39±3.62 vs 70.10±3.74 mg/dl) (p=0.023). patients in the intensive care units had significantly lower hdl, ldl, and cholesterol serum levels than those hospitalized in other parts (p=0.006, p=0.002, and p=0.002, respectively). there was a significant negative correlation between hdl serum level and c-reactive protein (crp) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (esr) (p=0.0001 and r=-0.482) and (p=0.01 and r=-0.258), respectively. additionally, there was a significant correlation between cholesterol level and crp, triglycerides, and esr (p=0.016 and p=0.02, respectively). conclusion: the present study highlights the potential of lipid profiling as a cost-effective and accessible marker to assess covid-19 severity and prognosis.