Can Monocytopenia Be a New Indicator in Determining Survival in Covid-19 Disease?

Monocytes play a central role in Covid-19 infection. Monocytopenia is especially observed in patients with severe infection. In our study, we aimed to investigate the effects of monocytopenia on survival in patients presenting with the suspicion of Covid-19.

Patients diagnosed with Covid-19 who received inpatient or outpatient treatment in the pandemic clinic of Umraniye Training and Research Hospital between April 2020 and July 2020 were included in our retrospective cohort study. Patients were divided into two groups, severe and non-severe. Demographic data, laboratory parameters, those who were monocytopenic at presentation, those who developed monocytopenia during follow-up, and those with persistent monocytopenia were noted.

The study included 471 patients with a mean age of 50.4 ± 18.2 years. Sixty-seven (14.2%) patients had severe and 404 (85.8%) had non-severe disease. The minimum value of monocytes detected during the follow-up in severe patients was significantly lower (p < 0.001). As patients were grouped into those with monocytopenia at the time of admission, those with monocytopenia developing during their follow-up, and those whose monocytopenia at admission persisted, they were compared with regards to the presence or absence of severe disease. Newly developing monocytopenia and persistent monocytopenia were significant in patients with severe disease (p < 0.001, p = 0,001 respectively). Also, among non-surviving patients, there was a significant difference in survival times in the monocytopenia group (p = 0.029).

In our study, we found more developing and persistent monocytopenia in the severe group, and the survival time was low, especially in those with newly developing monocytopenia. The development of monocytopenia in the daily hemogram follow-up of the patients may increase the possibility of mortality, which suggests that monocytopenia may be a new marker in determining survival.