Hematological Disorders Associated With COVID-19 Infection
Condition: Hematological Condition With COVID19
MeSH terms: COVID-19; Hematologic Diseases
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The emergence of the Coronavirus Disease -19 (COVID-19) pandemic, has had a tremendous global
      impact, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide.

      Although involvement of the lower respiratory track accounts for most of the morbidity and
      mortality seen, the virus involves several organ systems and the syndrome exhibits clinical
      diversity with a wide range of symptoms and manifestations.

      Aim of this study is to evaluate if there is a casual relationship between the development of
      aplastic anemias& other immune cytopenias, and recent COVID-19 infection.
    

Detailed description: 
      Viruses are a form of life that possess genes but do not have a cellular structure. Viruses
      do not have their own metabolism, and they require a host cell to make new products;
      therefore, they cannot naturally reproduce outside a host cell (1).

      From the hematologist point of view, viruses can play a major role in four conditions:
      causing infections; causing lymphoproliferations and/or malignancies; causing (pan)cytopenia;
      and used as vectors in treatment (e.g., gene therapy, CAR-T cells)(2).

      Taking into the role of viruses in hematology, pancytopenia, aplastic anemia, and other
      immune-mediated cytopenias are reported to be related to HIV, Hepatitis viruses, Dengue
      virus; respiratory infections (community-acquired respiratory virus infections; CARV) caused
      by Orthomyxoviruses (e.g., influenza A/B), Paramyxoviruses (e.g., human parainfluenza virus
      PIV-1, -2, -3, and -4; respiratory syncytial virus RSV-A and -B), Picornaviruses (e.g., human
      rhinovirus), coronaviruses (e.g., human coronavirus), Pneumoviridiae (e.g., human
      metapneumovirus), and potentially other viruses. (2) A new type of Coronavirus was identified
      by Chinese authorities in mid-December 2019, named by the Coronavirus Study Group of the
      International Commission on Virus Classification as "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
      Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)" and the disease was named by the World Health Organization (WHO)
      as coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The new virus quickly spread around the world, being
      declared a pandemic in March 2020.(3) The published data have focused on severe respiratory
      manifestations, found predominantly in adults, while in children the clinical manifestations
      are mostly asymptomatic and mild. When the disease is more severe in children, it occurs more
      frequently in those with less than one year of age or with pre-existing illnesses.(4)
      Hematological changes are frequent in the COVID-19 disease, such as early lymphopenia and, as
      the disease progresses, anemia and neutrophilia.(5) Thrombocytopenia can occur secondary to
      sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation or drug-induced,(5) as well as direct bone
      marrow suppression or immune-mediated destruction.(6)
    

Observational model: Case-Only
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        40 patients with newly diagnosed aplastic anemia, ITP, AIHA, Evan syndrome. aged one year
        and older attending Pediatric Hematology Unit at Children University Hospital