tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Am J Emerg Med
. 2021 Mar 2;46:16-19.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.02.054. Online ahead of print.
Analysis of absolute lymphocyte count in patients with COVID-19
Zachary Illg[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gregory Muller[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Matthew Mueller[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Justin Nippert[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Brian Allen[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Introduction: Symptoms of COVID-19 vary in severity and presentation. When admitting patients to the hospital, it is desirable to isolate patients with COVID-19 from those without the disease. However, reliably identifying patients with COVID-19 in the emergency department before hospital admission is often limited by the speed and availability of testing. Previous studies determined a low lymphocyte count is commonly found in patients with COVID-19. We sought to explore the sensitivity of absolute lymphocyte count in patients presenting to the emergency department requiring subsequent hospitalization who were found to have COVID-19.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on 312 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to the hospital from the emergency department. The absolute lymphocyte count for these patients was used to calculate sensitivities at various cut-off values. The relationships between absolute lymphocyte count and variables, including age, sex, need for intubation, and mortality, were also explored.
Results: Cut-off values for absolute lymphocyte count ranged from 1.1 K/uL to 2.0 K/uL, with sensitivities of 72% and 94%, respectively. Additionally, lower mean absolute lymphocyte counts were identified in males, patients who required intubation, and patients who died.
Conclusion: Knowing the sensitivity of absolute lymphocyte count in patients with COVID-19 may help identify patients who are unlikely to have the disease. Additionally, absolute lymphocyte count can be used as a marker of disease severity in patients with COVID-19.
Keywords: Absolute lymphocyte count; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Lymphopenia.
. 2021 Mar 2;46:16-19.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.02.054. Online ahead of print.
Analysis of absolute lymphocyte count in patients with COVID-19
Zachary Illg[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gregory Muller[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Matthew Mueller[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Justin Nippert[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Brian Allen[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33706251
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.02.054
Abstract
Introduction: Symptoms of COVID-19 vary in severity and presentation. When admitting patients to the hospital, it is desirable to isolate patients with COVID-19 from those without the disease. However, reliably identifying patients with COVID-19 in the emergency department before hospital admission is often limited by the speed and availability of testing. Previous studies determined a low lymphocyte count is commonly found in patients with COVID-19. We sought to explore the sensitivity of absolute lymphocyte count in patients presenting to the emergency department requiring subsequent hospitalization who were found to have COVID-19.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on 312 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to the hospital from the emergency department. The absolute lymphocyte count for these patients was used to calculate sensitivities at various cut-off values. The relationships between absolute lymphocyte count and variables, including age, sex, need for intubation, and mortality, were also explored.
Results: Cut-off values for absolute lymphocyte count ranged from 1.1 K/uL to 2.0 K/uL, with sensitivities of 72% and 94%, respectively. Additionally, lower mean absolute lymphocyte counts were identified in males, patients who required intubation, and patients who died.
Conclusion: Knowing the sensitivity of absolute lymphocyte count in patients with COVID-19 may help identify patients who are unlikely to have the disease. Additionally, absolute lymphocyte count can be used as a marker of disease severity in patients with COVID-19.
Keywords: Absolute lymphocyte count; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Lymphopenia.