Can lymphopenia be an early predictor of COVID-19 severity?
Lymphopenia can be used as an early predictor of severity and clinical outcome. A significant reduction in lymphocyte counts was common in severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients. A continuing or gradual decrease of lymphocyte counts was indicative of poor prognosis and usually required ICU admission (Table 1 )49. In agreement with this, a number of studies have identified lymphopenia as an independent risk factor for mortality in COVID-19.22,66