Diagnostic Utility and Prognostic Value of Basic Laboratory Parameters in COVID-19

Abstract

Objective: Severe respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a global pandemic that spread all over Turkey following the announcement of the first case on March 11, 2020. The present study aimed to investigate the diagnostic utility of complete blood count (CBC) parameters, C-reactive protein (CRP), and their ratios as well as their prediction on intensive care unit (ICU) admission among patients with Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 339 patients that presented to a tertiary care hospital and were diagnosed with COVID-19 and a group of 399 control subjects that were found to have no COVID-19 despite presenting with the classic signs and symptoms of the disease. CBC parameters, CRP, Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet/Lym-phocyte Ratio (PLR), and C-reactive protein/ Lymphocyte Ratio (CLR) were evaluated in both groups. Results: Compared to the control group, patients had significantly lower white blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte, neu-trophil, hemoglobin (HB), and platelet (PLT) values; NLR, PLR, CLR, CRP and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) values were significantly higher. NLR, PLR, and CLR were found to be important determinants in the diagnosis of COVID-19. In addition, while CRP, WBC, RDW, neutrophil, NLR, CLR, and PLR levels were significantly higher in ICU patients, lymphocyte and HB levels were significantly lower in ICU patients compared to other patients. Conclusions: CBC parameters as well as CRP, NLR, PLR, and CLR are inexpensive, routinely studied parameters and can be useful in predicting the diagnosis and severity of COVID-19. © 2021, DOC Design and Informatics Co. Ltd.. All rights reserved.