Hematological changes associated with COVID-19 infection.

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Hematology
• Clinical Biochemistry

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly strains global health services.
• While PCR confirms infection, hematological and biochemical markers aid in risk stratification and outcome prediction.
• Mutated virus strains exacerbate spread and health system constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review hematological changes in COVID-19.
• To highlight the diagnostic and prognostic significance of blood indices and biochemical markers.
• To summarize findings across different stages of COVID-19 infection.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a literature search for studies on hematological manifestations and COVID-19.
• Included English-language articles on human samples from December 2019 to January 2021.
• Utilized keywords such as "hematological," "lymphopenia," "platelet," and "COVID-19."

Main Results:

• No hematological changes were noted in asymptomatic or presymptomatic COVID-19 patients.
• Subtle changes, primarily lymphocytopenia (80.4%), were observed in non-severe cases.
• In severe/critical cases with cytokine storm, neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia, elevated D-dimer, prolonged PT, and reduced fibrinogen predict adverse outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Hematological monitoring helps predict patients needing intensive care and stratify risk for severe COVID-19.
• Further research in Iraq is needed to compare local hematological findings with global data.
• Hematological markers are crucial for assessing disease progression and prognosis.