Unveiling Immunological and Hematological Markers in COVID-19: Insights from a Clinical Study.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global health system and economies largely. Therefore, knowledge about the clinical and laboratory profiles of patients with COVID-19 would help in the management and prognosis of the disease. The immunological and hematological indices have emerged as critical determinants for the severity of the disease and the prognosis; however, association with COVID-19 is clouded. The present study is aimed to characterize the immunological and hematological profiles of patients with COVID-19 in correlation with the disease severity. The study included 1,019 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed patients with COVID-19 who were classified into serious and nonserious groups, considering severity criteria. Clinical laboratory investigations included hematological, biochemical, and immunological parameters regarding leukocyte counts, hemoglobin levels, and inflammatory markers. Our analysis of immunological and hematological differences between serious and nonserious patients with COVID-19 indicates that serious cases reflected elevated levels of pro-inflammatory markers such as lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, and ferritin, representing immune system dysregulation and systemic inflammation. Furthermore, in serious cases, discrepancies had also been noticed for many hematological parameters than nonserious ones, which also contained leukocyte count and hemoglobin level. Additionally, the CRP, D-dimer, blood urea nitrogen, alanine transaminase, and albumin levels could be independent predictors of COVID-19 severity by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Cutoff values for these biomarkers were defined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis defining optimal parameters for the risk stratification and prognostication. The current investigation provides a comprehensive understanding of immunological and hematological correlation with COVID-19 severity, refining clinical decision-making and therapeutic interventions to improve patient outcomes.