Hematological indicators for lung damage caused by COVID-19 infection

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Pneumonia is a severe complication of COVID-19.
• Computed tomography (CT) and PCR testing are key diagnostic tools.
• Understanding blood markers in COVID-19 pneumonia is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze blood indicators in hospitalized patients with pneumonia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To compare patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection versus those with COVID-19-like lung damage but negative PCR tests.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of hospitalized patients with pneumonia.
• Categorization into two groups: confirmed COVID-19 (PCR-positive) and suspected COVID-19 (CT-positive, PCR-negative).
• Analysis of complete blood count parameters at admission.

Main Results:

• Patients exhibited decreased lymphocytes, monocytes, and platelets, with increased neutrophils.
• No statistically significant differences in blood markers were found between PCR-positive and PCR-negative groups.
• CT findings suggestive of COVID-19 pneumonia were observed in both groups.

Conclusions:

• Blood count deviations in COVID-19 pneumonia patients are consistent regardless of PCR test results.
• Negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR results should not exclude a diagnosis of COVID-19-related lung damage if clinical and CT findings are consistent.
• This highlights the importance of considering clinical and imaging data alongside molecular testing.