COVID-19 and its Effect on Coagulation Profile: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) is a global pandemic and has become a major threat to health care system across the world. Majority of the cases present with mild symptoms but in some cases there is progression to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) leading to death. The major concern associated with COVID-19 is the fatality associated with infection. To prevent such an adverse incident there is an urgent need to identify biomarkers that effectively and timely determine the likelihood of progression to critical form of disease. Coagulopathy is common in COVID-19 patients with severe/critical form of disease. This review article aims to explore coagulation profile in COVID-19 patients and to correlate the same with the severity of illness. Material & Methods: A systematic search of published articles from January 1 to July 1, 2020 on COVID-19 was performed for identifying abnormalities in coagulation parameters in COVID-19 patients. Individual articles were screened and thereafter data was collected as per Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: A total of 163 articles on COVID-19 were screened from which only 60 articles with various laboratory parameters including coagulation profile were finally included in the review. Conclusion: Coagulopathy in COVID-19 patients has been found to be associated with an increased risk of death. Various evidences such as elevated levels of D-dimers, Fibrinogen, prolonged Prothrombin Time (PT), Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) and thrombocytopenia can help clinicians in risk stratification and early prediction of progression to severe/fatal form of COVID-19. Key words: COVID-19, D-dimers, Thrombocytopenia, Fibrinogen, Prothrombin Time, Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time. Key points:  COVID-19 caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has reached pandemic levels.  Patients with COVID-19 have high