Thromboembolic Manifestations in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in India- A Single-Centre Retrospective Study

This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and clinical profile of thromboembolic disease in COVID-19 patients and analyze its association with D-dimer and Interleukin (IL)-6 levels.

This was a retrospective, single-center study conducted by analyzing data obtained from the case records of COVID-19 confirmed patients with thromboembolic manifestations in India during January 2020 to February 2022. Patients with conditions such as malignancy, prothrombotic states, and autoimmune diseases were excluded from the analysis. D-dimer and IL-6 levels and thrombotic events were analyzed along with comorbid conditions like diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate the association of various thrombotic manifestations with D-dimer and IL-6 levels. A p-value of ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean age of 88 COVID-19 confirmed cases with thrombotic manifestations was 61.01±15.23 years, and the majority (62.5%) of the cases were male. D-dimer and IL-6 levels were elevated in 78.41 and 80.68% of the cases, respectively. The predominant thrombotic manifestation was pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) (48.86%), followed by acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (36.36%), cerebrovascular accident (CVA) (22.73%), etc. There was no significant association between various thrombotic manifestations and D-dimer and IL-6 levels.

PTE was the predominant thromboembolic manifestation in COVID-19 patients in the current cohort. Elevated D-dimer and IL-6 levels though found in the majority of the patients were not associated with thrombotic events. However, early recognition and treatment could reduce morbidity in COVID-19 patients.