Evaluation of Immuno-Hematological Parameters of Severe and Mild COVID-19 Cases in Babylon Province, Iraq

The hematopoietic system plays a very important role in contracting the corona virus infection. Hematology indicators are among the factors related to the clinical results of patients with covid-19 due to their cost-effectiveness, availability, speed and convenience of testing. The aim of this study was comparing hematological parameters including the number of Red Blood Cells (RBC), hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet count among mild and severe COVID-19 patients. Methods: The study was conducted on 100 Iraqi patients COVID-19 patients. Subjects were classified into two groups with mild (n= 50) and severe (n=50) COVID-19 infection symptoms based on the clinical criteria. The hematological parameters measurement included Red Blood Cell (RBC) count, Hemoglobin (Hb) levels, White Blood Cell (WBC) count, Platelet count (PLT), Hematocrit (HCT) levels, Platelet Distribution Width (PDW), and Mean Platelet Volume (MPV). An independent sample T-test was used to compare the means of hematological parameters between two groups. Results: The RBC count was significantly lower in severe group compared to mild group (P ≤ 0.05). HCT levels were significantly reduced in the severe group compared to mild group (P ≤ 0.05). The severe patients had a significantly lower PLT than mild patients (P ≤ 0.05). No significant difference in Hb levels was observed between severe and mild patients. The severe patients had a significantly higher PDW than mild patients (P ≤ 0.05). Additionally, the severe patients had a significantly higher MPV than mild patients (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that complete blood count measurements can be used as useful biomarkers to assess the severity of Covid-19. Early identification of severe COVID-19 patients using these markers can help to better manage and accelerate the treatment process for COVID-19 patients.