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Routine Screening Method for Microparticles in Platelet Transfusions
Published on: January 31, 2018
Early decrease in blood platelet count is associated with poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients-indications for
Xiaofang Zhao1, Kun Wang1, Peiyuan Zuo2
1Department of Geriatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Insights
Platelet count changes in COVID-19 patients indicate disease severity. An early decrease in platelet count is linked to higher mortality risk in coronavirus disease 2019 patients.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Platelet count is a sensitive indicator of illness severity in COVID-19.
- Monitoring thrombocyte turnover is clinically useful for patients with aggressive viral infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the significance of platelet count during disease progression in COVID-19 patients.
- To analyze the association between platelet count and mortality in COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study of 532 COVID-19 patients was conducted.
- Generalized additive models compared platelet count trends in survivors and non-survivors.
- Exclusion criteria included specific comorbidities and data availability.
Main Results:
- The mortality rate was 5.45% (29 deaths).
- Platelets decreased in non-survivors and increased in survivors within one week post-admission.
- The difference in platelet count between groups increased daily by 5.3 × 10^9/L.
Conclusions:
- Platelet count dynamically reflects pathophysiological changes in early-stage COVID-19.
- An early decrease in platelet count is associated with COVID-19 mortality.
- Causality between platelet count and mortality cannot be definitively concluded from this data.
Background:
Changes in platelet count are common in COVID-19 patients. The platelet count reflects the thrombocyte turnover, acting as a sensitive indicator of illness severity that is of great clinical utility to monitor a quickly changing health condition of patients affected by aggressive viral infections. This study aims to investigate the significance of platelet count during the progression of the disease in COVID-19 patients.
Methods:
A total of 532 COVID-19 patients were involved in the cohort study from the First People's Hospital of Jiangxia District in Wuhan from January 7, 2020, to February 28, 2020. We collected the clinical characteristics and laboratory data of patients. Patients still hospitalized before February 29, 2020, died on admission, with malignant tumors, previous gastrointestinal surgery, missing baseline platelet count, or platelet count detected only once, were excluded. We used a generalized additive model and generalized additive mixed model to compare trends in platelet count over time among survivors and non-survivors, with an adjustment for potential confounders.
Results:
During the follow-up, twenty-nine subjects died (mortality rate, 5.45%). The platelets among non-survivors decreased and among survivors increased gradually within 1 week after admission. In addition, the difference between the two groups showed an increasing trend during 1 week after admission. This difference increased by an average of 5.3 × 10^9/L daily.
Conclusions:
In the early stage, platelet count can dynamically reflect the pathophysiological changes in COVID-19 patients. Early decrease in platelet count was associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19. Causality, however, cannot be deduced from our data.
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