Hematologic Findings And Consequences Of Novel Coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) Infection

At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) initially emerged in China and subsequentially went on to cause a pandemic of unprecedented global impact. The disease caused by this virus, coronavirus-disease-2019 (COVID-19), although in many ways similar to other well-known respiratory viral syndromes, has been found to have unique and striking effects on multiple organ systems. While respiratory failure is the primary driver of morbidity and mortality in the majority of COVID-19 cases, hematologic complications are also prominent and are now drawing increasing interest. Early in the pandemic, clinicians reported thromboembolic complications including pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, thrombosis of intravascular access catheters, and stroke. In addition, laboratory parameters including some coagulation assays, blood counts, and inflammatory markers have been noted to be characteristically altered in COVID-19. This chapter reviews the hematologic manifestations of COVID-19 and discusses their significance.