Is Lymphopenia a sign of mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 patients?

Abstract

Aim: A novel type of coronavirus was detected after the first case of an atypical pneumonia in Wuhan, China in December 2019; the World Health Organization (WHO) named the virus SARS-CoV-2 in February 2020 and the disease it caused COVID-19. This classification has allowed clinicians to plan its treatment process to progress faster. We aim to compare laboratory parameters in COVID-19. Material and Methods: The patient population of the study has been formed by retrospectively examining the files of patients who had been admitted with COVID-19 complaints to an emergency department at a faculty of medicine between April 27 and December 18, 2020. Patients were divided into two groups: the surviving group and the mortal group. Results: In the ROC analysis, we evaluate the effect of lymphocyte on mortality, the cut-off value for lymphocyte was found as 1.3 (sensitivity = 58.14%; specificity = 78.92%). The sensitivity and specificity of this cutoff value are at good levels (AUC = 0.712; p < 0.05). Conclusion: We believe that lymphocyte levels in particular may be used to distinguish severe COVID-19 cases from mild to moderate cases in the days after hospital admissions.