Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021 Apr 17;20(2):129-139.
Containment of pandemic infections mainly depends on prompt identification of carriers, achievable through strict surveillance and truthful diagnostic testing. Although molecular identification of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the gold standard method, its low sensitivity and long turnaround time are among major concerns. In this retrospective single-center study, we reviewed the results of the lymphocyte and neutrophil counts of 1450 Iranian patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recruited at Baqiyatallah Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Of 1450 patients, 439 cases (30.3%) were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) negative; further emphasizing that getting negative molecular testing is not as reliable as a positive result. While the lymphocyte count in cases with less than 50 years old was 1.8×103/µL (1.2-2.5), it was 1.47×103/µL (0.84-2.16) in the older group (p<0.001). Also, men experienced lower lymphocytes as compared to women (1.53×103/µL vs 1.76×103/µL; p=0.002). Of particular interest, the lymphocyte count in the PCR-negative cases was 1.77×103/µL (0.98-2.45) which was significantly higher than its count in their positive counterparts (1.53×103/µL; p=0.004). Unlike lymphocytes, sex and PCR did not significantly affect the number of neutrophils. The odds ratio for neutrophilia in patients aged older than 50, either with a negative or a positive PCR, was 2.46 and 2.23, suggesting old age as the most significant associated factor. The number of lymphocytes along with increased neutrophil count may probably serve as simple, rapid, and economical biomarkers, and are seemingly appropriate items that should be taken into account in the identification of patients with COVID-19, especially those aged more than 50.
传染病的控制主要取决于对携带者的及时识别，这可以通过严格的监测和真实的诊断检测来实现。虽然对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）的分子鉴定是金标准方法，但它的低灵敏度和长周转时间是主要关注点之一。在这项回顾性单中心研究中，我们对 1450 名在伊朗德黑兰 Baqiyatallah 医院就诊的 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）患者的淋巴细胞和中性粒细胞计数进行了回顾。在 1450 例患者中，439 例（30.3%）聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测为阴性；进一步强调，获得阴性分子检测结果并不像阳性结果那样可靠。而年龄小于 50 岁的患者的淋巴细胞计数为 1.8×103/µL（1.2-2.5），年龄较大的患者为 1.47×103/µL（0.84-2.16）（p<0.001）。此外，男性的淋巴细胞计数低于女性（1.53×103/µL 比 1.76×103/µL；p=0.002）。特别有趣的是，PCR 阴性病例的淋巴细胞计数为 1.77×103/µL（0.98-2.45），明显高于其阳性对照的计数（1.53×103/µL；p=0.004）。与淋巴细胞不同，性别和 PCR 对中性粒细胞的数量没有显著影响。年龄大于 50 岁的患者，无论是 PCR 阴性还是阳性，中性粒细胞增多的优势比分别为 2.46 和 2.23，表明年龄较大是最显著的相关因素。淋巴细胞数量增加和中性粒细胞计数增加可能是简单、快速和经济的生物标志物，并且似乎是识别 COVID-19 患者，特别是年龄大于 50 岁患者的合适项目。
