Clinical manifestations of blood cell parameters and inflammatory factors in 92 patients with COVID-19.

Background: Although there are many COVID-19 case series studies, few studies report the relationship between variations in blood cell parameters and inflammatory factors and disease severity. This study aims to describe the dynamic trends in COVID-19 blood cell parameters and inflammatory factors.

Methods: Ninety-two patients with confirmed COVID-19 at Jingzhou Central Hospital, Hubei Province, China, between January 23, 2020, and April 10, 2020, were enrolled. Epidemiological data, clinical information, and laboratory test results were collected and analyzed.

Results: As patient age increased, disease severity increased (P<0.0001). The inflammatory factor C-reactive protein (CRP) showed a gradual increasing trend with disease aggravation. Based on dynamic change graphs, CRP in all patients with severe and critical COVID-19 initially increased and then decreased; however, CRP in patients with a good prognosis did not increase again after the initial decline (<20 mg/L). CRP in patients with a poor prognosis returned to a high level (>50 mg/L) 1 week after the initial decrease and continued to fluctuate at a high level. Lymphocyte count (LYM#) in patients with severe and critical disease was significantly lower (<1×10/L) than that in patients with moderate disease; LYM# was significantly increased 3 weeks after disease onset in patients with a good prognosis (>1×10/L), but patients with a poor prognosis continued to have a low LYM#.

Conclusions: CRP and LYM# showed strong correlation with disease progression, suggesting that these parameters could be used to monitor changes in patient condition.