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Haematological sequelae in the post-acute phase of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

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Abstract

Many patients surviving SARS-CoV-2 infection suffer from long-term symptoms (long COVID or post COVID) such as shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of taste or smell and cognitive deterioration. However, few data are available concerning blood cell counts and haematological parameters during the post-COVID period. We analysed haematological data from 83 patients previously admitted to the internal medicine unit of our institution because of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection; all data were obtained within 1–12 months from disease onset. A control group of 70 apparently healthy, age- and sex-matched COVID-19 negative individuals was assessed for comparison. Blood cell counts improved in the post-COVID period, but 81% of patients had persistent abnormalities, compared with 50% in the control group, p < 0.001. Most common haematological findings included anaemia (40%), reduced lymphocyte (43%) or eosinophil counts (38%) and low IgM memory B cells and correlated with advanced age, number of chronic comorbidities, female gender, altered renal function, reduced baseline Hb and procalcitonin concentrations and increased RDW. Data on lymphocytes and IgM memory B cells show that impaired immune responses may persist for up to one year in the post-COVID period, possibly contributing to long-term symptoms, especially in female patients.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy, and by “Rete Aging” as part of the research focused on conditions affecting the elderly. We thank Intermediate srl for proofreading the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Internal Medicine Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Piazzale Golgi, Pavia, Italy

    Gaetano Bergamaschi, Chiara Barteselli, Francesca Calabretta, Marco Vincenzo Lenti, Stefania Merli, Carlo Maria Rossi & Antonio Di Sabatino

  2. Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapy, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Marco Vincenzo Lenti & Antonio Di Sabatino

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  1. Gaetano Bergamaschi
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  2. Chiara Barteselli
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Correspondence to Gaetano Bergamaschi.

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As explicitly stated in the Methods section the study was conducted in the respect of the Helsinki declaration and is exempt from the need for informed consent, since only data retrospectively extracted from medical records were used and no additional procedures or investigations were performed for research purposes. No animal studies were performed.

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Bergamaschi, G., Barteselli, C., Calabretta, F. et al. Haematological sequelae in the post-acute phase of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Intern Emerg Med 19, 125–133 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-023-03459-6

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