AccScience Publishing / JCTR / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/JCTR026250057
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Assessment of blood parameters for accurate sepsis diagnosis

Samaa Asaad Hameed1 Thikra Adnan Jawad Banimusleum1 Zahraa Isam Jameel1*
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1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Al-Qasim Green University, Al-Qasim, Babil, Iraq
Received: 16 June 2026 | Revised: 27 June 2026 | Accepted: 6 July 2026 | Published online: 3 August 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency characterized by an exaggerated inflammatory response by the immune system to infection, which triggers a damaging cascade of events in the body’s tissues and organs. While all cases of sepsis originate from an infection, the main danger of the condition lies in excessive inflammation, which can result in organ failure and severe hypotension known as septic shock. Aim: This case-control study compared patients with sepsis with healthy individuals for demographics and key hematological parameters, with further analyses stratified by gender. Methods: A total of 150 subjects were recruited, with an equal proportion of males and females, and were classified as either patients with sepsis or controls. The study population was found to be mostly from rural areas with a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus and a significant proportion of subjects who were smokers. The values of complete blood count, a set of parameters including white blood cell count, lymphocyte count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and platelet count, were analyzed for differences between groups using t-test and analysis of variance. Results: Compared with the control group, sepsis patients showed significant differences in hematological parameters. Additionally, several specific hematological abnormalities were noted among individuals with sepsis compared to those who were healthy, such as anemia, marked lymphopenia, and evidence of leukocytosis. Both lymphocytes and platelets, which are indicative of the immune response, were differentially regulated by gender. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of chronic risk factors among the sepsis group. Sepsis involves chronic risk factors, distinct hematological impairments, and gender-specific regulation of lymphocytes and platelets. Relevance for patients: Understanding these changes in blood parameters and gender differences can improve early sepsis detection and individualized care.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Sepsis
Hematological parameters
Statistical Package for Social Sciences
Risk factors
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Journal of Clinical and Translational Research, Electronic ISSN: 2424-810X Print ISSN: 2382-6533, Published by AccScience Publishing