Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39810077›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025

Blood absolute lymphocyte count and trajectory are important in understanding severe COVID-19.

Catharine I Paules, Jacqueline A Nordwall, Kathryn Shaw-Saliba, Judith A Aberg, Edward M Gardner, Anna L Goodman, N Kumarasamy, Shikha Vasudeva, David M Vock, Crystal M North and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Catharine I Paules *Division of Infectious Diseases, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA. cpaules@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Jacqueline A Nordwall *Division of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Kathryn Shaw-SalibaDivision of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Judith A AbergDepartment of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Edward M GardnerDenver Health and Hospital, Authority, Denver, CO, USA.
Anna L GoodmanMRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London and CIDR, King's College London and Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
N KumarasamyVHS Infectious Diseases Medical Centre, CART Clinical Research Site, Voluntary Health Services, Chennai, India.
Shikha VasudevaDivision of Infectious Diseases, VA Medical Center, Salem, VA, USA.
David M VockDivision of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Crystal M NorthDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Jens Lundgren *CHIP Center of Excellence for Health, Immunity, and Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Copenhagen, Righospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Neil R Aggarwal *Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
STRIVE Network and TICO Trial Study Group

Funding

ACTIV Integration of Host-targeting Therapies for COVID-19 Administrative Coordinating CenterOT2HL156812 · NHLBI · RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE · PI NOLEN, TRACY L, THOMAS, SONIA M · 2020 to 2024
$1270.7M
NHLBI NIH HHS OT2 HL156812NIH HHS 1OT2HL156812-01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow blood absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) may predict severe COVID-19 outcomes. Knowledge gaps remain regarding the relationship of ALC trajectory with clinical outcomes and factors associated with lymphopenia.

methodsOur post hoc analysis of the Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19 platform trial utilized proportional hazards models to assess relationships between Day (D) 0 lymphopenia (ALC < 0.9 cells/uL), D0 severe lymphopenia (ALC < 0.5 cells/uL) or lymphopenia trajectory between D0 and D5 with mortality and secondary infections, and with sustained recovery using Fine-Gray models. Logistic regression was used to assess relationships between clinical variables and D0 lymphopenia or lymphopenia trajectory.

resultsD0 lymphopenia (1426/2579) and severe lymphopenia (636/2579) were associated with increased mortality (aHR 1.48; 1.08, 2.05, p = 0.016 and aHR 1.60; 1.20, 2.14, p = 0.001) and decreased recovery (aRRR 0.90; 0.82, 0.99, p = 0.033 and aRRR 0.78; 0.70, 0.87, p < 0.001 respectively). Trial participants with persistent D5 lymphopenia had increased mortality, and increased secondary infections, and participants with persistent or new lymphopenia had impaired recovery, as compared to participants with no lymphopenia. Persistent and new lymphopenia were associated with older age, male sex; prior immunosuppression, heart failure, aspirin use, and normal body mass index; biomarkers of organ damage (renal and lung), and ineffective immune response (elevated IL-6 and viral nucleocapsid antigen levels). Similar results were observed with severe lymphopenia.

conclusionsLymphopenia was predictive of severe COVID-19 outcomes, particularly when persistent or new during hospitalization. A better understanding of the underlying risk factors for lymphopenia will help illuminate disease pathogenesis and guide management strategies.

Indexed as

COVID-19LymphopeniaAdultAgedFemaleHumansLymphocyte CountMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2Severity of Illness IndexLymphocytesPrecision medicineSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID39810077
PMCPMC11734232

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.