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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.

Sec. Hematology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1614447

This article is part of the Research TopicTherapies Approaches in Venous Thromboembolism Management and CoagulationView all 12 articles

Platelet Count and Clinical Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia

Provisionally accepted
Carmine SiniscalchiCarmine Siniscalchi1,2Pierpaolo Di MiccoPierpaolo Di Micco3*Angela GuerraAngela Guerra2Riccardo SimoniRiccardo Simoni1Julia MagroJulia Magro2Alberto PariseAlberto Parise2Nicoletta CerundoloNicoletta Cerundolo2Egidio ImbalzanoEgidio Imbalzano4Claudio TanaClaudio Tana5Lorenzo FinardiLorenzo Finardi2Tiziana MeschiTiziana Meschi2
  • 1Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
  • 2University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
  • 3AFO Medica, P.O. Santa Maria delle Grazie, ASL Napoli 2 Nord, Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy
  • 4University of Messina, Messina, Sicilia, Italy
  • 5SS Annunziata Polyclinic Hospital, Chieti, Chieti, Italy

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Background: Thrombocytopenia has been associated with poor outcomes in various infectious diseases, including COVID-19. This study investigates the relationship between platelet (PLT) count at hospital admission and clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 797 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia, stratifying them into three groups by platelet count: <150,000/mm³ (22%), 150,000–400,000/mm³ (76%), and >400,000/mm³ (2.5%). Results: Patients with PLT <150,000/mm³, more frequently male, and had a higher prevalence of cirrhosis and fibrosis. They presented less severe respiratory impairment and lower inflammatory markers. They also showed lower use of enoxaparin and a higher use of fondaparinux. Mortality was at the limits of significance in this group (37% vs. 28% and 20%, p=0.056), and thrombocytopenia was independently associated with increased risk of in-hospital death (HR 1.483, 95% CI 1.023–2.150; p=0.037). Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia on admission independently predicts mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Keywords: COVID, Plt - Platelet, Venous Thromboembolism, Pneumonia, Respiratory inssuficiency

Received: 18 Apr 2025; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Siniscalchi, Di Micco, Guerra, Simoni, Magro, Parise, Cerundolo, Imbalzano, Tana, Finardi and Meschi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Pierpaolo Di Micco, pdimicco@libero.it

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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