Serum albumin and blood urea as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A retrospective cohort study

08 Jul 20264 min read0 viewsJournal Feed

GIST (Key Takeaways)

by Nuha Al-Aghbari Background While systemic inflammation is a hallmark of severe COVID-19, the prognostic value of metabolic and organ-functional markers remains under-explored. This study examined the prognostic value of serum albumin and blood urea at hospital admission in predicting in-hospital mortality among patients with COVID-19. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of 1,074 adult patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized in a tertiary care center.
Patients’ demographic, clinical and laboratory data on admission were collected from electronic medical records. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses to determine independent predictors of in-hospital death after adjusting for possible confounders including age, sex, comorbidities and known inflammatory/coagulation markers. Missing laboratory variables were imputed by multiple imputation by chained equations.
Area under the receiver Operating characteristics curve (AUC) was evaluated for model discrimination. Results In-hospital mortality occurred in (24.5%). Non-survivors had significantly lower serum albumin and higher blood urea levels at admission.
After full adjustment, hypoalbuminemia remained independently associated with increased mortality risk.

Clinical Editorial

PLOS ONE (Medicine) published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 08 Jul 2026.

The item focuses on Serum albumin and blood urea as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A retrospective cohort study.

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