|
KMID : 1100820230130040364
|
|
Laboratory Medicine Online
2023 Volume.13 No. 4 p.364 ~ p.369
|
|
|
Correlation between Clinical Severity and Cycle Threshold Values of Real-time RT-PCR at the Time of Admission in COVID-19 Patients
|
|
Yoo Eun-Hyung
Lee A-Jin
Kim Sang-Gyung
Jeon Chang-Ho
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
Background : The viral load of the patient can be deduced from the cycle threshold (Ct) value. In this study, the correlation between the initial Ct value of the SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the clinical features in hospitalized patients in Daegu, South Korea, was explored.
Methods : We investigated the clinical and RT-PCR data of 750 patients with COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease-19) at admission in eight hospitals in Daegu, Korea, and assessed the correlation between the Ct values and COVID-19 severity.
Results : The Ct values for the four genes showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.001) within the same specimen type. Among the 716 patients classified based on clinical severity, the Ct value was a significant predictor of disease severity at the time of admission. The Ct values of the E, RdRP, and N genes showed significant differences among the eight severity groups (P<0.001). Compared to patients in the non-severe group (categories 1 to 4), those in the severe group (categories 5 to 8) exhibited a relatively lower distribution of Ct values for the E (P<0.001), RdRP (P=0.029), ORF1a (P=0.009), and N genes (P=0.003).
Conclusions : The Ct value, which reflects the amount of virus, can serve as a supportive parameter for predicting the severity of COVID-19 in patients at the time of admission.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, RT-PCR, Cycle threshold, Severity
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
|
|
|