Journal Article Review Epublish 1 citation
PubMed: 39931501 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.78797
A Review of the Hematological Picture of Severe COVID-19 Infection.
Cureus 17(2):e78797
Authors: Dominga Amoroso, Stefania Bongo, Anna Copponi, Vanessa Rossi, Roberta Di Giorgio, Sergio Bernardini, Lorenzo Ippoliti, Maria Morello
Affiliations
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, ITA.
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, ITA.
Abstract
Numerous hematological abnormalities have been documented in COVID-19 patients. We conducted an analysis of 82 articles from PubMed, focusing on the hematological characteristics observed in survivors (S) and non-survivors (NS) with moderate and severe COVID-19 symptoms, respectively. Our review underlines neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia as hallmark features of the disease. In severe cases, blood cell microscopy revealed the following abnormalities: i) an increased number of neutrophils, often displaying granularity, toxic granulation, and vacuolization; ii) lymphocytes with a notably blue cytoplasm; iii) several monocytes that contain vacuoles; iv) platelet aggregation; and v) basophilic stippling in red blood cells. Furthermore, scattergram analysis of COVID-19 patients revealed two common features: i) an increased neutrophil population and ii) the presence of a distinctive "sandglass pattern". This review underscores the critical role of hematochemical and cytomorphological blood cell analysis in COVID-19 patients, aiding clinicians in better recognizing and understanding the indicators of disease severity.
MeSH
Cells, Blood, Neutrophils, Covid-19, Blood Cells, Infections