AUTHOR=Bin Dahman Lotfi S. , Bakarman Adnan A. , Al-Nakhbi Naela A. , Al-Haddad Ahmed M. , Bin-Talib Ammar H. , Al-Saadi Hamzah A. , Bashatah Suad T. , Al-Yazidi Noora S. , Al-Houti Mohammed S. , Bin-Dheyab Mohammed O. 
  
TITLE=Hematological and biochemical alterations in patients with suspected COVID-19 infection with negative and positive RT-PCR swabs
  
JOURNAL=Acta Biochimica Polonica
  
VOLUME=Volume 73 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/journals/acta-biochimica-polonica/articles/10.3389/abp.2026.16764
  
DOI=10.3389/abp.2026.16764
  
ISSN=1734-154X
  
ABSTRACT=BackgroundHematological and biochemical abnormalities have been reported in patients with confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study compared selected hematological and biochemical parameters in patients with confirmed COVID-19 (RT-PCR positive) and suspected COVID-19 (RT-PCR negative).Patients and methodsA retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 106 patients admitted to the COVID-19 isolation centers at Ibn-Sina Hospital, Mukalla, Yemen, from 1 December 2021 to 30 October 2022. The study included 63 men and 43 women, with a mean age of 58.3 ± 17.5 years. Demographic, clinical, hematological, and biochemical data were extracted from medical records. The following were analyzed: complete blood count (CBC), random blood glucose (RBG), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and ferritin.ResultsOf the 106 patients, 58 (54.72%) had confirmed (RT-PCR positive) COVID-19, and 48 (45.3%) had suspected (RT-PCR negative) COVID-19. Compared with the RT-PCR-negative group, the RT-PCR-positive patients had significantly higher hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell (RBC), and white blood cell (WBC) counts and were more likely to exhibit neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and eosinopenia. Serum LDH, GGT, CRP, and ferritin levels were also significantly higher in the RT-PCR-positive group. Using binary logistic regression analysis, LDH (OR: 1.008, 95% CI: 1.002–1.013, P = 0.004) and GGT (OR: 0.949, 95% CI: 0.903–0.997, P = 0.039) were independently associated with RT-PCR positivity.ConclusionAmong the investigated laboratory markers, LDH and GGT showed independent associations with RT-PCR positivity. Given the retrospective cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of predictive or causal relationships.