Assessment of the relationship between hematologic parameters, (CPD), in screening for COVID-19 severity in women

This study evaluated hematological parameters and cell population data (CPDs) to assess their ability to discriminate between moderate and severe COVID-19 in hospitalized female patients, and to identify potential markers associated with worse outcomes. A retrospective study was conducted on 84 adult female COVID-19 patients hospitalized at CHC-UFPR (Brazil) between March 2020 and July 2021. Patients were stratified into moderate (n = 46) and severe (n = 38) disease groups. A control group included 100 healthy female outpatients. Parameters analyzed included D-dimer, WBC count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and CPDs (LY-X, LY-Y). RT-qPCR was used for SARS-CoV-2 confirmation and variant identification. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in LY-X, LY-Y, NLR, and WBC were found between moderate and severe groups. D-dimer was elevated in severe cases. Among deceased patients (n = 17), WBC and NLR were markedly increased. ROC curve analysis confirmed the discriminatory power of these markers. No significant association was found between viral genotype and severity (p = 0.9602). Hematological parameters, particularly CPDs and NLR, are valuable for early stratification of COVID-19 severity. These automated, rapid, and cost-effective measures can support clinical decision-making. However, CPD usage depends on analyzer availability and lacks standardization across platforms.