BACKGROUND Data about the morphological changes in peripheral blood smears during COVID-19 infection and their clinical severity association are limited. We aimed to examine the characteristics of the cells detected in the pathological rate and/or appearance and whether these findings are related to the clinical course by evaluating the peripheral blood smear at the time of diagnosis in COVID-19 patients. METHODS Clinical features, laboratory data, peripheral blood smear of fifty patients diagnosed with COVID-19 by PCR was evaluated at diagnosis. Peripheral smear samples of the patients were compared with the age and sex-matched 30 healthy controls. Pictures were taken from the patient's peripheral blood smear. Patients were divided into two groups. Mild and severe stage patient groups were compared in terms of laboratory data and peripheral smear findings. The relationship between the laboratory values of all patients and the duration of hospitalization was analyzed. RESULTS The number of segmented neutrophils and eosinophils were low, pseudo-Pelger-Huet, pseudo-Pelger-Huet/mature lymphocyte ratio, atypical lymphocytes, monocytes with vacuoles, bands, and pyknotic neutrophils rates were higher in the peripheral blood smear of the patient group (p <0.05). Increased pseudo-Pelger-Huet anomaly, pseudo-Pelger Huet/mature lymphocyte ratio, a decreased number of mature lymphocytes, and eosinophils in peripheral blood smear were observed in the severe stage patients (p <0.05). A negative correlation was observed between hospitalization duration and mature lymphocyte and monocytes with vacuoles rates (p <0.05). CONCLUSION A peripheral blood smear is an inexpensive, easily performed, and rapid test. Increased Pseudo-Pelger-Huet anomaly/mature lymphocyte rate suggests a severe stage disease, while high initial mature lymphocyte and monocytes with vacuoles rates at the time of diagnosis may be an indicator of shortened duration of hospitalization.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 患者的外周血涂片检查结果提供了有关疾病严重程度和住院时间的信息。

背景 关于 COVID-19 感染期间外周血涂片的形态学变化及其临床严重程度相关性的数据有限。我们旨在通过评估 COVID-19 患者诊断时的外周血涂片来检查在病理率和/或外观中检测到的细胞的特征，以及这些发现是否与临床过程有关。方法 在诊断时评估 50 名通过 PCR 诊断为 COVID-19 的患者的临床特征、实验室数据、外周血涂片。将患者的外周涂片样本与年龄和性别匹配的 30 名健康对照进行比较。图片取自患者的外周血涂片。患者分为两组。根据实验室数据和外周涂片结果比较轻度和重度患者组。分析所有患者的实验室检查值与住院时间的关系。结果 患者外周血涂片分节性中性粒细胞和嗜酸性粒细胞数量较少，假Pelger-Huet、假Pelger-Huet/成熟淋巴细胞比值、非典型淋巴细胞、单核细胞有空泡、条带、中性粒细胞固缩率较高。组（p <0.05）。重症患者外周血涂片假性Pelger-Huet异常、假性Pelger Huet/成熟淋巴细胞比值增加、成熟淋巴细胞数减少、嗜酸性粒细胞增多（p<0.05）。住院时间与成熟淋巴细胞和单核细胞的空泡率呈负相关（p <0.05）。结论 外周血涂片是一种廉价、易于操作且快速的检测方法。增加的 Pelger-Huet 异常/成熟淋巴细胞率表明疾病严重，而诊断时具有空泡率的高初始成熟淋巴细胞和单核细胞可能是住院时间缩短的指标。