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Updated: Oct 17, 2025
Evaluation of a Point-of-Care Testing Analyzer for Measuring Peripheral Blood Leukocytes
Published on: March 22, 2022
Coronavirus disease 2019 and peripheral blood eosinophil counts: a retrospective study
Marjella Eijmael1, Nicky Janssens2, Saskia le Cessie3
1Department of Internal Medicine, Groene Hart Ziekenhuis, Bleulandweg 10, 2803 HH, Gouda, The Netherlands. m.eijmael@gmail.com.
Purpose:
Eosinopenia has been described in COVID-19. With this study, we aim to study the peripheral blood eosinophil counts in COVID-19 patients and to investigate whether there is an association between the peripheral blood eosinophil counts and disease severity of COVID-19.
Methods:
We revised the electronical medical records of confirmed COVID-19 patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in the Groene Hart Ziekenhuis, Gouda, The Netherlands. We divided patients in mild, moderate and severe groups based on clinical severity of COVID-19. Clinical severity was based on the therapy needed and the outcome of patients. We compared clinical characteristics, laboratory results and outcome between the three groups.
Results:
Of the 230 patients included in this study, the mild, moderate and severe groups consisted of 16.5%, 45.7% and 37.8% of the included patients, respectively. The mean age was 68 years (IQR 57-78). 63% of patients were male. A significant decrease in the peripheral eosinophil counts was found corresponding to the increase of COVID-19 severity. In the mild, moderate and severe groups, the percentage of patients with eosinopenia was 73.7%, 86.7% and 94.3%, respectively (p value 0.002).
Conclusion:
Eosinopenia is significantly more frequent present in patients with a severe COVID-19.
