Kasmera

D-dimer levels in patients with COVID-19

2026-01-02T18:02:53+00:00

High levels of D-dimer have been associated with respiratory failure, it is a marker of thrombotic events, one of the most common complications of COVID-19, The objective of this study is to evaluate D-dimer levels in patients with COVID-19. A total of 344 patients who attended the Clinical Laboratory, between September 2020 and August 2021, highly suggestive symptoms of infection in the last 5 days or less were included. Each patient was diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR and D-dimer determination. The positivity for SARS-CoV-2 in the population evaluated with the RT-PCR test was 63.37%. 81.65% of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients had plasma concentrations from > 250 ng/mL to values of >2000 ng/mL, considered positive D-dimer with a significant difference of p< 0.05 (0.000). The predominant symptom was cough in infected patients with high levels of D-dimer, with a p< 0.05 (0.016). It is concluded that SARS-CoV-2 positive patients had high plasma levels of D-dimer, which shows that, during infection by this virus, plasma levels of this biomarker increase and that it serves as a marker of severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients

Effectiveness of RT-PCR as a diagnostic tool for detecting tuberculosis in patients at the General Hospital of Macas, year 2025

2026-01-14T18:03:12+00:00

Tuberculosis is a disease with significant public health impact worldwide and in Ecuador, making it imperative to identify diagnostic methods with higher performance that enable early treatment. The objective was to analyze the effectiveness of RT-PCR as a diagnostic tool in patients at the General Hospital of Macas – 2025. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, and prospective study. The sample consisted of 308 patients selected based on specific criteria. The positivity rate with RT-PCR was 3.2%, significantly higher (p=0.033) than the cases detected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture (1.6%). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of RT-PCR were both 100.0%, demonstrating significantly superior sensitivity (p<0.0001) compared to culture, which achieved 100.0% specificity and 50% sensitivity. Statistical association was found using the Chi-square test among the evaluated effectiveness indicators, particularly regarding time to diagnosis (p<0.05), initiation of treatment (p<0.05), and the ability to detect resistance (p<0.0001), as evidenced by RT-PCR. The higher performance of RT-PCR optimizes the clinical pathway, reduces the transmission window, and demonstrates its diagnostic effectiveness for tuberculosis in patients at the General Hospital of Macas

Interleukin-6 as a diagnostic marker of neonatal sepsis at the General Hospital of Puyo, 2023

2026-01-20T18:03:19+00:00

Neonatal sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, making early diagnosis essential to improve prognosis. The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels as an early diagnostic marker of sepsis in neonates at the General Hospital of Puyo during 2023. A descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study with a quantitative approach was conducted in a sample of 158 neonates with clinical suspicion of sepsis. The results showed significant variability (p=0.037) in serum IL-6 levels in the group of preterm female neonates (168±47 pg/mL) and in the total of that group (58±132 pg/mL) compared to males of the same age (45±91 pg/mL). A significant association was found between IL-6 and neutrophils, which reached 100% positivity for neonatal sepsis (p<0.0001); C-reactive protein and procalcitonin showed very similar results to IL-6 (10.8%). IL-6 demonstrated high specificity (97.9%) and a sensitivity of 80.0%, which decreased with gestational age. It was concluded that IL-6 is a useful marker for confirming neonatal sepsis, but it should be interpreted alongside other biomarkers and clinical criteria to optimize early detection and minimize false negatives, also considering gestational age for accurate interpretation