Utility of Routine Laboratory Biomarkers to Detect COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Meta-analysis published in Viruses (2021)
Abstract
No routine laboratory biomarkers perform well enough in diagnosing COVID-19 in isolation for them to be used as a standalone diagnostic test or to help clinicians prioritize patients for treatment. Instead, other diagnostic tests are needed. The aim of this work was to statistically summarise routine laboratory biomarker measurements in COVID-19-positive and -negative patients to inform future work. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were performed. The search included names of commonly used, routine laboratory tests in the UK NHS, and focused on research papers reporting laboratory results of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. A random effects meta-analysis of the standardized mean difference between COVID-19-positive and -negative groups was conducted for each biomarker. When comparing reported laboratory biomarker results, we identified decreased white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, eosinophil, and platelet counts; while lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were elevated in COVID-19-positive compared to COVID-19-negative patients. Differences were identified across a number of routine laboratory biomarkers between COVID-19-positive and -negative patients. Further research is required to identify whether routine laboratory biomarkers can be used in the development of a clinical scoring system to aid with triage of patients.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
No routine laboratory biomarkers perform well enough in diagnosing COVID-19 in isolation for them to be used as a standalone diagnostic test or to help clinicians prioritize patients for treatment.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated routine laboratory biomarkers for distinguishing COVID-19-positive from COVID-19-negative patients, analyzing standardized mean differences across multiple common blood tests used in the UK NHS. The study found that COVID-19-positive patients had decreased white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, eosinophil, and platelet counts alongside elevated lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase compared to negative patients. This study has no relevance to hirudotherapy, the leech secretome, or leech-derived therapeutics. It concerns diagnostic biomarker performance in infectious disease and does not address any leech-related intervention, anticoagulant mechanism, or wound-healing application.
Citation
Utility of Routine Laboratory Biomarkers to Detect COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Suklan J et al. · Viruses, 2021
Added to ASH library: May 27, 2026 · Site last updated: June 18, 2026