D-dimer is Associated with Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Pooled Analysis

Abstract

A new infective outbreak, sustained by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and defined coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is now spreading all around the world.[1] The clinical course of this respiratory disease is complicated in up to 15% of infected patients by onset of interstitial pneumonia, evolving toward acute respiratory distress syndrome needing mechanical ventilation or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and is also often accompanied by multiorgan failure.[2] Since there is now incontrovertible evidence that laboratory hemostasis provides an essential contribution to decision-making and care of the vast majority of human pathologies,[3] we aimed to explore here whether increased D-dimer values—which are a frequent occurrence in patients with COVID-19[4]—may be associated with disease severity.