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The influence of COVID-19 on routine hematological parameters of hospitalized patients
S Blomme1, L Smets1, M Van Ranst1,2,3
1Clinical Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Insights
Routine hematology parameters, particularly lymphocyte counts, can predict COVID-19 patient outcomes. Lower lymphocyte counts between days 9-12 after admission indicate potential clinical worsening in coronavirus disease 2019 patients.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spread globally in 2019.
- Effective treatments for COVID-19 are limited, necessitating severity prediction for patient outcomes.
- Routine hematological parameters offer potential insights into disease progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate routine hematology parameters in COVID-19 patients over time post-admission.
- To identify hematological markers predictive of COVID-19 severity and patient outcomes.
- To compare hematological profiles of COVID-19 patients with influenza patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of blood samples from 197 COVID-19 patients admitted to University Hospital of Leuven.
- Categorization of COVID-19 patients into non-ICU, ICU, and deceased groups.
- Inclusion of 60 influenza A patients as a control group.
- Evaluation of platelet count, hemoglobin, leukocyte, neutrophil, eosinophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts.
Main Results:
- Deceased COVID-19 patients exhibited significantly lower platelet counts and higher leukocyte/neutrophil counts compared to recovered patients.
- Lower eosinophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts were observed in deceased COVID-19 patients.
- Lymphocyte counts were significantly lower between days 9-12 post-admission, indicating potential clinical worsening.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences in routine hematological parameters distinguish COVID-19 patients with poor outcomes from those who recover.
- Lymphocyte count is a valuable predictor of patient outcomes in COVID-19.
- Hematological monitoring can aid in predicting clinical trajectories for coronavirus disease 2019.
Objectives:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and soon spread around the entire world. As no effective treatment is known, prediction of disease severity is very important in order to estimate a patients outcome. Aim of this study was to evaluate routine hematology parameters in time after admission.
Methods:
Data from routine blood analyses from confirmed COVID-19 cases admitted to the University Hospital of Leuven in Belgium were collected. COVID-19 patients (n = 197) were assigned to three groups: a 'non-ICU' group, a 'ICU' group and a 'deceased' group. A control group of 60 Influenza A (non-COVID-19) patients was also included. The parameters evaluated were platelet count (PLT, 109/L), hemoglobin concentration (Hb, g/dL), leukocyte count (LEU, 109/L), neutrophil count (NEU, %), eosinophil count (EO, %), lymphocyte count (LYM, %) and monocyte count (MONO, %).
Results:
Deceased COVID-19 patients had significant lower platelet count, higher leukocyte/neutrophil count, and lower eosinophil/lymphocyte/monocyte count compared to recovered patients. Especially lymphocyte count showed important differences; they were significantly lower between day 9 and 12 after admission making this time window important in predicting clinical worsening of a patient.
Conclusion:
Patients with COVID-19 with poor outcome showed significant differences in results of routine hematological parameters compared with patients that recovered. Especially lymphocyte count can be helpful in the prediction of a patients outcome.
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