Predictive hematological and immunological parameters associated with postpartum progressed Covid-19 disease

Background: In pregnancy, Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection disease may be more severe due to existingphysiological changes. Similarly, changes during and after birth can make the patient more subceptible. Objective: To investigate possible laboratory findings that was related to postpartum progression of COVID-19 disease. Methods: Pregnant women who are pregnant at 28 weeks or more and who are COVID-19 positive at the time of delivery were investigated in this study. Progressed post- delivery and non-progressed COVID-19 positive pregnants’ laboratory findings were analyzed. Hematological and immunological parameters associated with postpartum progressed COVID-19 disease were evaluated. Results: Totally 151 individuals were conducted to the study. In the prenatal analysis, higher BMI and lower albumin levels were detected in the progressed group (p<0.05). In the postpartum analysis; White Blood Cell, lymphocyte and albumin were increased, while neutrophil, NLR, LDH, CK, D-DIMER, Ferritin, CRP and IL-6 were decreased in the non-progressed group as opposite of the progressed group (p<005). Conclusion: We observed that prenatal low albumin and high BMI may be related to progression of the COVID-19 disease after delivery. In progressed group, inflammatory markers were increased after delivery while in non-progressed group they were improved. These markers may be warning for the postpartum progression of COVID-19 disease. Keywords: COVID-19; delivery; albumin; neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio; pregnancy