Hematological and other Laboratory Parameter Changes in COVID-19 Patients

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Pathology
• Immunology

Background:

• COVID-19, declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020, presents with a wide spectrum of disease severity.
• Identifying reliable biomarkers is crucial for assessing COVID-19 severity and predicting patient outcomes.
• Previous research explored various laboratory parameters to gauge disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze hematological, coagulation, and immunological markers in patients with mild, moderate, severe, and critical COVID-19.
• To investigate the relationship between these markers and the overall outcome of COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational study included 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• Patients were categorized into mild, moderate, severe, and critical groups based on WHO guidelines.
• Hematological, coagulation, and inflammatory parameters were analyzed and correlated with disease severity and survival.

Main Results:

• Increased white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), serum ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were associated with increased disease severity.
• A decreased absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) was also significantly correlated with disease severity.
• These markers showed significant differences across severity groups and correlated with patient survival.

Conclusions:

• Several hematological and inflammatory markers serve as important biomarkers for predicting COVID-19 prognosis and patient outcomes.
• The accessibility of these markers allows for early patient stratification and timely management.
• These findings support the use of routine laboratory parameters in clinical decision-making for COVID-19 patients.