Features of α-Hydroxybutyrate Dehydrogenase during various specific periods in COVID-19 patients within Xiangyang, China: a cohort study

Background Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has spread all over the world and brought extremely huge losses. There is no study to systematically analyse the features of hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (α-HBDH) in COVID-19 patients during the periods before and after illness progression, before death and course from exposure onset. Methods We collected all included patients’ general information, clinical type, α-HBDH value and outcome, and analyzed α-HBDH values within different initial time and different periods. Results In the first 30 days after symptom onset, the α-HBDH median value was 156.33 U/L. The first test of α-HBDH since exposure onset appeared on the 8th day, it increased from the 8th day to 18th day and decreased after the 18th day. α-HBDH median value showed a slight change until it started to increase 1 day before transforming to severe type, while it continued to increase during 4 days before and after transforming to critical type. The α-HBDH median value ranged from 191.11 U/L to 455.11U/L before death. Conclusions α-HBDH value increases in some COVID-19 patients, obviously in severe type, critical type and death patients, and mainly in 18 days after exposure onset and 10 days after symptom onset. α-HBDH increases 1 day before transforming to severe type, continues to increase in critical type and death patients, increases rapidly 5 days before death. The increase of α-HBDH suggests that COVID-19 patients have tissues and organs damage, mainly in heart. In brief, α-HBDH is an important indicator to judge the severity and prognosis of COVID-19. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Clinical Trial ChiCTR2000031088 ### Funding Statement This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The ethics committee of the Xiangyang No.1 Peoples' Hospital Affiliated of Hubei University of Medicine approved this study, and granted a waiver of consent from the study participants (No. 2020GCP012) All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes Anyone who wishes to obtain the original data of this study with reasonable purposes can contact the correspondent author via email.