Alterações no hemograma em pacientes com COVID-19: uma revisão da literatura

Abstract

The first case of COVID-19 occurred in December 2019 in China, where the new coronavirus, responsible for the pandemic that persists for its third year, was identified. Due to the high transmissibility and severity that COVID-19 can reach, diagnosis is crucial so that the correct measures are taken to contain the spread of the disease. The present study aimed to review the literature on the morphological and quantitative changes found in blood counts of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Currently, the RT-PCR exam is the most indicated and is considered the gold standard (since viral isolation is not used in the diagnostic routine), however, the blood count has been shown to be a great ally in the diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of patients with COVID-19. 19. Neutrophilia and lymphocytopenia have been seen as important findings in infected patients and are strongly related to their prognosis. Parameters derived from the blood count, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have already been used as markers of immune/inflammatory response and have now also demonstrated diagnostic and prognostic predictive power in the disease, as well as other indices derived from the blood count. Some morphological changes in red blood cells and leukocytes were observed in these patients, but none proved to be pathognomonic of COVID-19. Thus, with the blood count and knowledge of these changes, health teams can make faster and more assertive decisions for each case in order to avoid progression to severe forms of the disease.