Serum Amylase Levels at Admission in Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 Infection

Introduction: We aimed to compare the amylase levels in hospitalized patients for COVID-19 infection, who were discharged or expired, to investigate the relationship between amylase levels and outcomes of COVID-19 infection.
Methods: In all patients having the symptoms of COVID-19, the diagnosis was established by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Demographic features, complete medical history, and laboratory findings of the study participants at admission are obtained from the medical records.
Results: A total of 145 patients (51 females and 94 males) were included in the study. Although liver function tests and kidney function tests were significantly different between discharged and expired patients, there was no significant difference regarding the serum amylase levels at admission. In our laboratory, the upper limit of amylase level is 100 U/L. Regarding this upper limit, 72 patients (67.3%) in the discharged group and 30 patients (78.9%) in the expired group had hyperamylasemia. There was not any significant difference between the two groups, regarding the hyperamylasemia prevalence (p=0.32).
Discussion and Conclusion: In patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection, there was not any significant difference regarding the serum amylase levels between discharged and expired patients. We believe that serum amylase levels at admission cannot be regarded as a prognostic factor in COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: Amylase; COVID-19; COVID prognosis