New Simplified White Blood Cells Score Improves Mortality Prediction in Severe COVID-19 Patients.

Background

An unfavorable course of SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. The study aimed to develop a simple, accessible, and reliable tool to anticipate the poor results among COVID-19 pneumonia patients.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study involves 306 individuals with severe COVID-19 pneumonia enrolled between March 2021 and June 2021. Each patient had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and required oxygen therapy. Differential blood count and serum CRP were taken on admission day. Medical data were collected from the hospital's information system.

Results

Of 306 patients (133 females, 173 males, aged 66.3 ± 15.2 years), 105 (34.3%) died. Counts of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and eosinophils differed significantly between survivors and deceased (p < 0.001; p = 0.002; p = 0.009, respectively) and had substantially differentiating properties in ROC analysis. Built with the counts of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and eosinophils, the White Blood Cell Score (WBCS) was developed. WBCS robustly predicted mortality (OR = 2.821; CI: 2.037-3.906; p < 0.001) in the investigated population. Cumulative risk of death according to WBCS (ranging from 0 to 3 points) was as follows: 0 points-10.9%, 1 point-23.5%, 2 points-33.1%, 3 points-34.1%.

Conclusions

Based on differential blood count, the proposed WBCS is easy to use and can be helpful in predicting mortality among severe COVID-19 patients.