Hemogram Characteristics of 257 Patients with COVID-19 in Meknes, Morocco

Background: Previous studies have shown that the abnormalities in blood routine parameters have certain clinical application value in predicting the progress of infectious diseases. Characteristics of peripheral blood cells as early signals were needed to be investigated for clarifying its associations with the fatal outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This study was conducted with an aim to examine the hematological findings of 257 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 over a 6-month period, from April 2020 to September 2020 in Moulay Ismail military hospital in Meknes. Results: Both sexes were present, with males predominating. The mean age of the total number of patients studied was 33.9 years (min: 1 max: 87 years). In our study, the first hematological abnormality was eosinopenia, present in 14.01% of patients. This was followed by lymphopenia in 13.62% of patients and neutrophilia in 12.45%. Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 have abnormal peripheral blood routine examination results. Dynamic surveillance of peripheral blood system especially eosinophils and lymphocytes is helpful in the prediction of severe COVID-19 cases.