Differential white blood cell count in the COVID-19: A cross-sectional study of 148 patients

Background SARS-CoV-2 infection alters various blood parameters, which may indicate disease severity and thus help in better clinical management. Aim To study the association between various hematological parameters and disease severity of COVID-19. To analyze the effects of hypertension and diabetes on neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil-monocyte ratio in patients suffering from COVID-19. Materials and methods The study was a cross-sectional study involving 148 laboratory-confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The patients were divided into three groups on the basis of disease severity. Various hematological parameters were analyzed. The effects of hypertension and diabetes on NLR and NMR in COVID-19 patients were evaluated. Results Of the 148 patients, 78.4%, 8.1% and 13.5% cases were in the mild, moderate and severe groups, respectively. Mean age was 42.63 ± 16.04 years (IQR: 29, 54.75; Range: 7–74). 58.8% patients were male while the rest (42.2%) were female. Mean TLC (cells/mm3), neutrophil (%), lymphocyte (%), monocyte (%), eosinophil (%), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and neutrophil-monocyte ratio (NMR) among mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 was statistically significant (p

Highlights • Leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, monocytopenia and eosinopenia are associated with severe COVID-19. • High neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and neutrophil-monocyte ratio (NMR) are indicators of disease severity in COVID-19. • Basophil count and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) are not related with severity of illness in COVID-19. • High NLR is statistically significant (p