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What the blood tests of a COVID-19 patient can tell us ?

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May 22, 2020

A cluster of unexplained pneumonia cases was reported by the Peopleʼs Republic of China to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 31 December, 2019.

The etiology for this outbreak was a novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was responsible for the Corona Virus Disease2019 (COVID-19).

On admission, most patients affected by COVID-19 have a normal CBC (normal Hb, WBC and platelet count) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). And, no patient presented with moderate or severe thrombocytopenia (a condition in which you have a low blood platelet count) that is frequently observed in other viral illnesses such as dengue fever which is endemic in our region.

However, 1/3rd of all patients present with lymphopenia. (reduced level of a certain type of blood cell called a lymphocyte)

Flow cytometry performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes demonstrate prominent lymphopenia in the ICU patients as compared to the non-ICU patients and normal controls.

In conclusion, study showed that on admission, older age, lymphopenia and raised LDH were associated with ICU admissions.

Citation: Hematologic parameters in patients with COVID‐19 infection Bingwen Eugene Fan Vanessa Cui Lian Chong Stephrene Seok Wei Chan Gek Hsiang Lim Kian Guan Eric Lim Guat Bee Tan Sharavan Sadasiv Mucheli Ponnudurai Kuperan Kiat Hoe Ong