Abstract
Background: The confirmatory test for COVID-19 relies on the virus levels in the patients and sampling methods. Besides, there is no definitive description of the role of diagnostic lab parameters in the analysis of positive cases yet. Objective: To investigate the positive COVID-19 cases by screening out hematological biomarker for detection of disease severity and progression. Methods: Data of 110 confirmed COVID-19 cases at King Abdulaziz hospital were analyzed, 42 (38.2%) of the cases were treated in ICU. All variables’ means and variances were compared between two groups (non-severe patients and severe) using statistical analysis. Results: ICU and non-ICU positive cases rates were 38.2% and 61.8% respectively. Out of COVID-19 patients, 60% showed lymphopenia and neutrophilia (P < 0.025) and Eosinopenia (60.9%). Furthermore, low levels of MCH and hemoglobin were observed in 96.4% and 90%, respectively. At a significance level of 5%, statistical tests showed a statistically significant difference between groups under investigation in both the mean value and variance for lymphocyte, neutrophils, platelet, and WBCs variables. Conclusions: The analysed variables can be used for predicting patients with positive COVID-19 cases. Lymphocytes and neutrophils were much helpful in monitoring disease severity and infection progression. Moreover, these results encourage considering data as a useful, rapid, and easy way to arrive at a decision of disease severity. Keywords: CBC; Laboratory biomarker; COVID-19; Lymphopenia; Eosinopenia
Highlights
Two highly pathogenic human coronaviruses had been triggered major epidemics over the last 20 years, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS, 2003), and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS, 2014)(1)
Our research aimed to study different hematological parameters of positive RT-PCR cases for COVID-19 to provide a basis to use these parameters for diagnosis and as a prognostic indicator for patients’ severity
We found that 92.8% among ICU patients showed significantly decreased lymphocyte counts and 60.9% of the patients showed eosinopenia
Summary
Two highly pathogenic human coronaviruses had been triggered major epidemics over the last 20 years, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS, 2003), and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS, 2014)(1). Peripheral white cell differential may be a systemic inflammatory response predictor and is commonly examined as useful indicator of viral pneumonia patients[4]. As such biomarkers are required to identify patients’ severity, recent studies have shown correlations between COVID-19 disease and different hematological test results[5,6]. At a significance level of 5%, statistical tests showed a statistically significant difference between groups under investigation in both the mean value and variance for lymphocyte, neutrophils, platelet, and WBCs variables. Lymphocytes and neutrophils were much helpful in monitoring disease severity and infection progression These results encourage considering data as a useful, rapid, and easy way to arrive at a decision of disease severity
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