Standard blood laboratory values as a clinical support tool to distinguish between SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients

Abstract Standard blood laboratory parameters may have diagnostic potential, if polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) tests are not available on time. We evaluated standard of 655 COVID-19 patients suspected to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, who underwent PCR testing in one five hospitals Vienna, Austria. compared parameters, clinical characteristics, and outcomes between positive negative PCR-tested the ability those distinguish groups. Of 590 (20–100 years, 276 females 314 males), 208 were PCR-positive. Positive had significantly lower levels leukocytes, neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, monocytes, thrombocytes; while higher detected erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, C-reactive-protein, ferritin, activated-partial-thromboplastin-time, alanine-aminotransferase, aspartate-aminotransferase, lipase, creatine-kinase, lactate-dehydrogenase. From all erythrocytes showed highest (area-under-curve, AUC: 72.3–79.4%). The AUC our model was 0.915 (95% confidence intervals, 0.876–0.955). Leukopenia, eosinopenia, elevated hemoglobin among strongest markers regarding accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, likelihood post-test probabilities. Our findings suggest that especially leukopenia, helpful tested patients.