A preliminary study on the joint parameter Lym% and HGB for the prediction of severe and nonsevere COVID-19

Abstract

Objectives The aim of this study was to identify the parameters in routine blood tests that can be used to evaluate the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and thus assist in clinically predicting the extent of progression. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the epidemiological, clinical symptom and laboratory examination data of 159 COVID-19 patients. The percentage of lymphocytes (Lym%) and hemoglobin (HGB) were integrated into a joint parameter, Lym%&HGB, by binary logistic regression. Results Both Lym% and HGB gradually decreased with disease progression whereas the joint parameter Lym%&HGB increased gradually with disease progression. When using Lym%, HGB, and Lym%&HGB to predict COVID-19 severity, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was 0.89, 0.79, and 0.92, respectively. The dynamic change curves showed that Lym% and HGB continued to decline while Lym%&HGB continued to increase with disease progression in patients with severe COVID. The change in Lym%&HGB was more prominent than the changes in Lym% and HBG. Conclusions The joint parameter Lym%&HGB can serve as a good tool to differentiate severe and nonsevere COVID-19, and it has a higher sensitivity and specificity than either Lym% or HGB alone.