Serum Plasmin(ogen) Level as a Predictor for COVID-19 Severity: A Pilot Study from Egypt

Background: The pathogenesis of (COVID19), is still not totally delineated. COVID-19 is both a respiratory and systemic thrombotic disease. Given the dual function of plasmin(ogen) in promoting viral infection and regulating fibrinolysis, the dys-regulation of which is the most severe consequence of COV-ID-19, our attention has been directed towards investigating this process. Aim of Study: This study aimed to find a link between the level of plasmin in serum of patients with comorbidities as compared to those without and correlate it with the severity of Covid-19. Results: Sixty-eight hospitalized patients having COV-ID-19 were included in this study. A total of twenty-six indi-viduals who were matched in terms of age and sex to the non-Covid-19 ill group were selected as controls. Serum plasmin level was lower in patients than in control subjects (Median (Range):136.05pg/ml (7.10-1000pg/ml), 152.15pg/ml (8.90-988.60pg/ml), respectively), however it was not statistically significant (p-value: 0.062). Lower plasmin level, higher fer-ritin, higher creatinine, and older age were significantly associ-ated with the presence of comorbidities. Serum plasmin level was substantially lower in hypertensive patients andother co-morbidities but did not differ with diabetic patients. Plasmin level did not correlate with CT severity. Conclusion: Serum plasmin level in covid patients was not correlated to disease severity. It was significantly lower in those with hypertension and other comorbidities (p-values 0.001,0.048 respectively), but not with diabetes. However, only diabetes was significantly associated with CT severity (p-value 0.006).