CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF WHITE BLOOD CELLCOUNT IN ASSESSING COVID-19 SEVERITYAT DA NANG LUNG HOSPITAL
Keywords:
COVID-19, white blood cell, severity, prognosisAbstract
Background: White blood cell (WBC) alterations are common in COVID-19 patients and may reflect immune response and disease severity. Evidence from Vietnam remains limited. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 206 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Da Nang Lung Hospital between September 2021 and April 2022. Clinical data, comorbidities, blood pressure, and hematological indices were analyzed. Chi-square test and ROC analysis were applied. Results: The mean age was 66.7 ± 18.8 years, with 62.1% aged ≥ 60. Hypertension (47.6%) and diabetes (31.1%) were the most frequent comorbidities. Increased WBC was observed in 37.4% of patients, while leukopenia accounted for 7.3%. Elevated WBC was significantly associated with severe and critical illness (p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed that a cutoff of ≤ 8,2x109/L discrimination between asymptomatic and critical groups with AUC = 0.614; p = 0.166. Conclusions: Elevated WBC is frequent in severe COVID-19 and may serve as a prognostic marker.
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