D-dimer and C-reactive Protein Blood Levels Over Time Used to Predict Pulmonary Embolism in Two COVID-19 Patients
  • Yael Becher
    Geriatrics and Internal Medicine B Department, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Aff. to Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
  • Leonid Goldman
    Geriatrics and Internal Medicine B Department, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Aff. to Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
  • Nadav Schacham
    Geriatrics and Internal Medicine B Department, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Aff. to Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
  • Irina Gringauz
    Geriatrics and Internal Medicine B Department, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Aff. to Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
  • Dan Justo
    Geriatrics and Internal Medicine B Department, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Aff. to Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Keywords

COVID-19, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, pulmonary embolism

Abstract

The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism is challenging in symptomatic COVID-19 patients since shortness of breath, chest pain, tachycardia, tachypnoea, fever, oxygen desaturation and high D-dimer blood levels might be features of both diseases. We present two COVID-19 patients in whom pulmonary embolism was suspected (and diagnosed) due to a discrepancy between an increase in D-dimer blood levels and a decrease in C-reactive protein blood levels over time. We believe that an opposite change in the blood levels of both biomarkers over time may be used as a novel method to predict pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 patients.

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    Published: 2020-05-20
    Issue: 2020: Vol 7 No 6 (view)

    How to cite:
    1.
    Becher Y, Goldman L, Schacham N, Gringauz I, Justo D. D-dimer and C-reactive Protein Blood Levels Over Time Used to Predict Pulmonary Embolism in Two COVID-19 Patients. EJCRIM 2020;7 doi:10.12890/2020_001725.