Introduction

One of the most common laboratory tests in medicine is a complete blood count (CBC), which provides information about the size and quantity of circulating blood cells. CBC results are routinely used to evaluate acute or chronic inflammation and infection.

Aim

This study aims to identify differences in haematological features (including cell count, red cell indices, platelet count, and blood composite results) between genders in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and to investigate whether these differences are related to disease activity and anaemia.

Material and methods

One hundred blood specimens were divided into 4 groups. The 1st and 2nd groups were healthy controls including 25 specimens from males (C-M group) and 25 specimens from females (C-F group). The 3rd and 4th groups were from patients with IBD and included 25 specimens from males (IBD-M group) and 25 specimens from females (IBD-F group). Automated haematology analysers were used to analyse whole blood specimens for CBC in all patients and controls. Measured parameters included blood leukocytes and differentials (neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil, and basophil), blood composite scores (N/L ratio, P/L ratio, M/L ratio, SIRI), PLT, PCT, RBCs, HGB, HCT, RDW, and red blood indices (MCV, MCH, MCHC).

Conclusions

There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between patients with IBD and controls. We demonstrated higher levels in patients with IBD of blood leukocytes and differentials, blood composite scores, PLT, PCT, and RDW. While lower levels of lymphocytes, RBCs, HBG, HCT, and red blood indices were observed in the IBD-M and IBD-F groups, compared with the C-M and C-F groups. On the other hand, a significant difference (p < 0.05) was seen between genders of patients with IBD; the increase ratio was higher in females (WBC, neutrophil, monocyte, eosinophil, basophil, PLT, PCT, RDW) than in males, while the decrease ratio was lower in females (lymphocyte, RBCs, HBG, MCV, HCT) than in males, except MCH and MCHC.

Conclusions

We found that haematological features in patients with IBD differ between the sexes and are associated with disease activity and the presence of anaemia. These features may be proposed as alternative biomarkers of the disease and could be used in clinical practice.