Journal Article Epublish
PubMed: 37781778 DOI: 10.1017/S0950268823001619
Association of SARS-CoV-2 viral load with abnormal laboratory characteristics and clinical outcomes in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
Epidemiol Infect 151:e173
Authors: Lilan Zheng, Liping Qiu, Luxi Wu, Jianwei Wang, Haihua Xie, Junjun Wang, Yi Huang, Fawen Chen
Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital South Branch, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
- Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
- Central Laboratory, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
- Center for Experimental Research in Clinical Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Abstract
We conducted a retrospective, analytical cross-sectional and single-centre study that included 190 hospitalised COVID-19 patients in the Fujian Provincial Hospital South Branch between December 2022 and January 2023 to analyse the correlation of viral loads of throat swabs with clinical progression and outcomes. To normalise the Ct value as quantification of viral loads, we used RNase P gene as internal control gene and subtracted the Ct value of SARS-CoV-2 N gene from the Ct value of RNase P gene, termed △Ct. Most patients were discharged (84.2%), and only 10 (5.6%) individuals who had a lower △Ct value died. The initial △Ct value of participants was also significantly correlated with some abnormal laboratory characteristics, and the duration time of SARS-CoV-2 was longer in patients with severe symptoms and a lower △Ct value at admission. Our study suggested that the △Ct value may be used as a predictor of disease progression and outcomes in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
MeSH
Infections, Epidemiology, Molecular Biology, Communicable Diseases, Laboratories, Genes, Sars Virus, Viral Load, Covid-19, Sars-Cov-2