The CALL Score for Predicting Outcomes in Patients With COVID-19

Abstract

To the Editor-Defining prognosis of patients affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is of utmost importance for planning appropriate setting of care and treatment. Therefore, we read with great interest the article by Ji and colleagues that was recently published in Clinical Infectious Diseases [1]. After exclusion of patients presenting with severe COVID-19 syndrome and by using data records of 208 patients suffering from COVID-19, with mean age standard deviation [SD] 44.0 16.3 years, the authors derived and validated a novel score, named CALL, based on 4 variables (C = comorbidity, A = age, L = lymphocyte count, L = lactate dehydrogenase [LDH]) aimed at predicting progression toward clinical deterioration. The CALL score ranges from 4 (absence of comorbidity, age under 60 years, lymphocyte count over 1.0 10 9 /L, LDH under 250 U/L) to 13 (presence of comorbidity, age over 60 years, lymphocyte count under 1.0 10 9 /L, LDH over 500 U/L).