AUTHOR=Hong Wandong , Chen Qin , Qian Songzan , Basharat Zarrin , Zimmer Vincent , Wang Yumin , Zippi Maddalena , Pan Jingye 

TITLE=Critically Ill vs. Non-Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia: Clinical Features, Laboratory Findings, and Prediction

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.550456

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2021.550456

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical features and laboratory findings of patients with and without critical COVID-19 pneumonia and identify predictors for the critical form of the disease.
Methods: Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of 63 COVID-19 pneumonia patients were retrospectively reviewed. Laboratory parameters were also collected within 3–5 days, 7–9 days, and 11–14 days of hospitalization. Outcomes were followed up until March 12, 2020.
Results: Twenty-two patients developed critically ill pneumonia; one of them died. Upon admission, patients with critical illness were older and more likely to report cough and dyspnoea with higher respiration rate and had more possible of abnormal laboratory parameters than patients without critical illness. When compared with the non-critically ill patients, patients with serious illness had a lower discharge rate and longer hospital stays, with a trend towards higher mortality. The interleukin-6 level in patients upon hospital admission was important in predicting disease severity, and was associated with length of hospitalization. 
Conclusions: Many differences in clinical features and laboratory findings were observed between patients exhibiting non-critically ill and critically ill COVID-19 pneumonia. Interleukin-6 was a superior predictor of disease severity.