Association of initial viral load of SARS-CoV-2 with clinical progression and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19
Sema Alacam1, Ayfer Bakir2, Nagehan Didem Sari31Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Education Research Hospital ,Istanbul, Turkey. Medical Microbiology, 2Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Health Sciences, Gulhane Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey., 3Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Education Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Objectives: The relationship between the clinical course of COVID-19 and viral load has not been fully elucidated, and conflicting results are still reported. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship of initial viral load with clinical progression and mortality in hospitalized cases. Methods: This study consisted of 218 patients with moderate and severe disease. SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold (Ct) values and positivity were determined in the nasopharyngeal swab samples of the patients by real-time PCR. Results: The mortality rate in hospitalized COVID-19 patients was 15.6%. A weak but significant correlation was found between increasing age and mortality (Spearman's rho: 0.181, p=0.007). The first detected SARS-CoV-2 viral load (Ct value) of the patients who were admitted to the clinical and intensive care unit were 29.7 and 27.9, respectively (p=0.07). Initial median viral loads of patients who recovered and died were 29.4 and 28.9, respectively (p=0.44). Conclusion: Initial viral load could not be associated with the severity of the disease and the risk of mortality in moderate and severe COVID-19 patients. This study suggests that viral load is not a reliable parameter in predicting COVID-19 prognosis and mortality. Keywords: Ct value, mortality, real time-PCR, SARS-CoV-2, viral load
Cite This Article
Alacam S, Bakir A, Sari N. Association of initial viral load of SARS-CoV-2 with clinical progression and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. EJMI. 2021; 5(3): 374-379
Corresponding Author: Sema Alacam