THROMBOCYTOPENIA AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH COVID-19 INFECTION

Objective: To analyze association of thrombocytopenia with severity of COVID-19 disease. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pathology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi during the month of Apr 2020. Methodology: Study population consisted of 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection admitted in Pak Emirates Military Hospital (PEMH), Rawalpindi. Cases were confirmed by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) performed on pharyngeal swabs. Patients were divided into two groups critical and non critical after obtaining the informed consent and approval from the ethical committee. Platelet counts were collected and categorized as 0-50, 51-100, 101-150 and more than 150. Results: Mean age of the study population was 43.57 ± 14.4 years Thrombocytopenia was present in 33.33% of critical and 12.85% of non critical patients. Out of total 100 patients 4 deceased and 96 survived. Among all the patients with thrombocytopenia (n=19) there were 21.05% non survivors and 78.94% survivors. Significant thrombocytopenia was seen among 4 non survivor cases, 3 were placed in first category (PLT˂50) and 1 was placed in second category (plt 51-100). Out of 10 critical patients with thrombocytopenia 40% could not survive. Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia has a significant association with COVID-19 patients and is associated with high mortality rate. It is a reliable marker for clinicians as these patients have high mortality and are more prone to develop complications.