COVID-19 with high-sensitivity CRP associated with worse dynamic clinical parameters and outcomes

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and their clinical outcomes, including trajectory of hsCRP changes during hospitalization. Patients with positive COVID-19 tests between 2021 and 2023 were admitted to two hospitals. Among 184 adult patients, approximately half (47.3%) had elevated hsCRP levels upon admission, which defined as exceeding the laboratory-specific upper limit of test (> 5.0 mg/L). Clinical outcomes included critical illness, acute kidney injury, thrombotic events, intensive care unit (ICU) requirement, and death during hospitalization. Elevated hsCRP levels had a higher risk of ICU requirement than those with normal, 39.1% versus 16.5%; adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 2.3 [95% CI, 1.05-5.01]; = 0.036. Patients with extremely high (≥2 times) hsCRP levels had aOR, 2.65 [95% CI, 1.09-6.45];