The Effect of Thrombocytopenia in COVID-19 Patient in Comparison with Patient with Normal Platelets Count

Abstract

evere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS–CoV–2) was first described in December 2019 when cases of pneumonia of an unidentified cause were reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, central China 1-3 .The infection has become a major global health concern, attained pandemic status and infected people in almost every country worldwide 3-4. The reported rates of thrombocytopenia in covid 19 patients varied from less than 5% to about 53.6% 71 . Platelet count has been evaluated as a biomarker to predict the severity of COVID-19 in multiple studies which showed that a lower platelet count is associated with an increased risk of severe disease and mortality in patients with COVID-19 and may serve as a marker for progression of illness.79 Possible mechanisms of thrombocytopenia caused by CoV infection 37-40 1- Hematopoeitic stem cell surface invasion 2- Abnormal BM microenvironment and decreased production of thrombopoietin (TPO) 3- Cellular immunity and cytokine storm 4- Lung damage 5- Increased platelet consumption and drug-induced thrombocytopenia The aim of this study was to study thrombocytopenia as a prognostic factor in covid 19 patient and it’s relation with length of hospital stay and prognosis in comparison with covid 19 patients with normal platelets count.