COVID-19-associated lymphopenia
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Oluwabusola Fausat Adogba, MD
Synonyms and keywords:
Overview
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been considered as a global pandemic since its first emergence in Wuhan,China.On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.There is no established system for the classification regarding COVID-19 related lymphopenia. four hypothetical mechanism regarding lymphopenia are : Direct infection of Lymphocyt, direct destroying of lymphocytic organs, inflamatory cytokins such as TNFɑ, IL-6,Lymphocyte inhibition,
Historical Perspective
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been considered as a global pandemic since its first emergence in Wuhan,China.[1]
- On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.
- Since the first descriptive study lymphocyte count has been a marker of interest.[2]
Classification
There is no established system for the classification regarding COVID-19 related lymphopenia.
Causes
- There are four hypothetical mechanisms regarding lymphopenia[3][4]
- Direct infection of Lymphocytes
- Direct destroying lymphatic organs
- Inflammatory cytokines such as TNF ɑ, IL-6 , etc inducing lymphopenia
- Inhibition of lymphocytes by metabolic molecules such as hyperlactic acidemia
COVID-19 related Lymphocytopenia starts acutely in the course of the disease, with other manifestations of the disease.
Lymphocytopenia, is associated with corticosteroid use, infections with HIV and other viral, bacterial, and fungal agents, Hodgkin's disease, leukemia, malnutrition, systemic lupus erythematosus,[5] high stress levels, whole body radiation, rheumatoid arthritis, and iatrogenic conditions.
In alphabetical order. [6] [7]
- After influenza
- After snakebite
- Anesthesia
- Antibody deficiency syndrome
- Aplastic Anemia
- Banti's Syndrome
- Burns
- Congenital immune deficiency
- Cushing's Disease
- Dermatomyositis
- Drugs, toxins
- Exudative enteropathy
- Felty's Syndrome
- Heavy exercise
- HIV
- Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Lymphocyte tuberculosis
- Measles
- Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
- Polycythemia
- Postoperative
- Pregnancy
- Sarcoidosis
- Scarlet Fever
- Secondary hypersplenism
- Single non-Hodgkin's lymphomas
- Surgery
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Trauma
- Tuberculosis
- Uremia
- Whipple's Disease
- Zinc deficiency
Epidemiology and Demographics
- The incidence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as of June 28, 2020 is approximately 9,843,073 cases worldwide with 495,760 deaths.[8]
- Patients of all age groups may develop COVID-19. However, the elderly population and immunocompromised individuals are more likely to develop severe cases of COVID-19.
Risk Factors
People of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. These medical conditions include:[9]
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 or higher)
- Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Screening
- Lymphopenia as a result of COVID-19 or any other acquired disease cannot be prevented.
- A routine CBC with diffrential should be done in COVID-19 patients to detect and monitor the progression of lymphopenia.
Natural History, Complications, and Prognosis
- Common hematologic complications of coronavirus include lymphopenia, neutrophilia and thrombocytosis.
- Lymphopenia is a prominent part of severe COVID-19 and a lymphocyte count of less than 1.5 × 109/L may be useful in predicting the severity of clinical outcomes.[10]
Diagnosis
Diagnostic Choice of Study
Lymphopenia refers to a count of less than 1,000 lymphocytes per microliter of blood in adults, or less than 3,000 lymphocytes per microliter of blood in children.[11] The following tests are used to diagnose lymphopenia:
- Complete Blood test
- Flow cytometry
History and Symptoms
Lymphopenia as a result of COVID-19 can present with different symptoms. People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:[12]
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Lymphopenia as an indicator for severe disease
- Lymphopenia is lymphocyte count of less than 1.5 × 109/L. It is associated with a 3-fold increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection.
- Patients with lymphopenia on admission have been associated with poor prognostic outcomes[13]. Recent studies have shown that 85% of severely ill patients have lymphopenia. Futhermore, patients who have died from COVID-19 infection showed significantly lower lymphocyte level than survivors.[14]
References
- ↑ "WHO Western Pacific | World Health Organization".
- ↑ Ruan, Qiurong; Yang, Kun; Wang, Wenxia; Jiang, Lingyu; Song, Jianxin (2020). "Clinical predictors of mortality due to COVID-19 based on an analysis of data of 150 patients from Wuhan, China". Intensive Care Medicine. 46 (5): 846–848. doi:10.1007/s00134-020-05991-x. ISSN 0342-4642.
- ↑ Fischer, Karin; Hoffmann, Petra; Voelkl, Simon; Meidenbauer, Norbert; Ammer, Julia; Edinger, Matthias; Gottfried, Eva; Schwarz, Sabine; Rothe, Gregor; Hoves, Sabine; Renner, Kathrin; Timischl, Birgit; Mackensen, Andreas; Kunz-Schughart, Leoni; Andreesen, Reinhard; Krause, Stefan W.; Kreutz, Marina (2007). "Inhibitory effect of tumor cell–derived lactic acid on human T cells". Blood. 109 (9): 3812–3819. doi:10.1182/blood-2006-07-035972. ISSN 0006-4971.
- ↑ Liao, Yuan-Chun; Liang, Wei-Guang; Chen, Feng-Wei; Hsu, Ju-Hui; Yang, Jiann-Jou; Chang, Ming-Shi (2002). "IL-19 Induces Production of IL-6 and TNF-α and Results in Cell Apoptosis Through TNF-α". The Journal of Immunology. 169 (8): 4288–4297. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.169.8.4288. ISSN 0022-1767.
- ↑ W L Ng, C M Chu, A K L Wu, V C C Cheng, K Y Yuen. "Lymphopenia at presentation is associated with increased risk of infections in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus". Quarterly Journal of Medicine. 99 (1): 37–47. doi:10.1093/qjmed/hci155.
- ↑ Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:77 ISBN 1591032016
- ↑ Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:68 ISBN 140510368X
- ↑ Zhao, Qianwen; Meng, Meng; Kumar, Rahul; Wu, Yinlian; Huang, Jiaofeng; Deng, Yunlei; Weng, Zhiyuan; Yang, Li (2020). "Lymphopenia is associated with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections: A systemic review and meta-analysis". International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 96: 131–135. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2020.04.086. ISSN 1201-9712.
- ↑ "Lymphocytopenia | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)".
- ↑ Huang, Ian; Pranata, Raymond (2020). "Lymphopenia in severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19): systematic review and meta-analysis". Journal of Intensive Care. 8 (1). doi:10.1186/s40560-020-00453-4. ISSN 2052-0492.
- ↑ Fathi, Nazanin; Rezaei, Nima (2020). "Lymphopenia in COVID‐19: Therapeutic opportunities". Cell Biology International. doi:10.1002/cbin.11403. ISSN 1065-6995.