Variant-Related Differences in Laboratory Biomarkers among Patients Affected with Alpha, Delta and Omicron: A Retrospective Whole Viral Genome Sequencing and Hospital-Setting Cohort Study
Georgios Meletis,
Areti Tychala,
Georgios Ntritsos,
Eleni Verrou,
Filio Savvidou,
Iasonas Dermitzakis,
Anastasia Chatzidimitriou,
Ioanna Gkeka,
Barbara Fyntanidou,
Sofia Gkarmiri,
Alexandros T. Tzallas,
Efthymia Protonotariou,
Kali Makedou,
Dimitrios G. Tsalikakis,
Lemonia Skoura
Affiliations
Georgios Meletis
Department of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Areti Tychala
Department of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgios Ntritsos
Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, School of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Ioannina, 47100 Arta, Greece
Eleni Verrou
School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Filio Savvidou
School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Iasonas Dermitzakis
School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Anastasia Chatzidimitriou
Institute of Applied Bioscience, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, 6th km Charilaou—Thermi Rd., Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ioanna Gkeka
Department of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Barbara Fyntanidou
Department of Emergency Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Sofia Gkarmiri
Department of Emergency Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Alexandros T. Tzallas
Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, School of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Ioannina, 47100 Arta, Greece
Efthymia Protonotariou
Department of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Kali Makedou
Laboratory of Biochemistry, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Dimitrios G. Tsalikakis
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, 50131 Kozani, Greece
Lemonia Skoura
Department of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
During the COVID-19 pandemic, different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) with specific characteristics have emerged and spread worldwide. At the same time, clinicians routinely evaluate the results of certain blood tests upon patient admission as well as during hospitalization to assess disease severity and the overall patient status. In the present study, we searched for significant cell blood count and biomarker differences among patients affected with the Alpha, Delta and Omicron VOCs at admission. Data from 330 patients were retrieved regarding age, gender, VOC, cell blood count results (WBC, Neut%, Lymph%, Ig%, PLT), common biomarkers (D-dimers, urea, creatinine, SGOT, SGPT, CRP, IL-6, suPAR), ICU admission and death. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA, the Kruskal–Wallis test, two-way ANOVA, Chi-square, T-test, the Mann–Whitney test and logistic regression was performed where appropriate using SPSS v.28 and STATA 14. Age and VOC were significantly associated with hospitalization, whereas significant differences among VOC groups were found for WBC, PLT, Neut%, IL-6, creatinine, CRP, D-dimers and suPAR. Our analyses showed that throughout the current pandemic, not only the SARS-CoV-2 VOCs but also the laboratory parameters that are used to evaluate the patient’s status at admission are subject to changes.
