Leukocyte Count Predictor of Future Long COVID Severity in Postmenopausal Women

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Leukocyte count is an independent predictor of future postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 infection (PASC) in postmenopausal women, according to a study published online Jan. 28 in Menopause.

Ted K.S. Ng, Ph.D., from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and colleagues examined the association of leukocyte count and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentrations measured about 25 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic with PASC, PASC severity (defined as the sum of PASC symptoms), and PASC-associated cognitive outcomes among postmenopausal women. Multivariable regression models were constructed using biomarker data from blood specimens collected during prepandemic enrollment (1993 to 1998) and data on 1,237 Women”s Health Initiative participants who completed a COVID-19 survey between June 2021 and February 2022.

After controlling for baseline characteristics, the researchers identified positive associations between log_c-transformed leukocyte count and leukocyte count ≥5.5 x 1,000 cells/µL with PASC severity (β = 0.27 and 0.13, respectively), but not with PASC occurrence or PASC-related cognitive outcomes. Only about 27 percent of participants had data on hsCRP concentration, which was not associated with any of the PASC outcomes.

“Our study extends the evidence that low-grade inflammation is not only a correlate or an outcome of PASC severity, but also precedes the acute COVID-19 infection leading to this debilitating outcome, further supporting a role of inflammation in the etiology of PASC,” the authors write.

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