ABSTRACT
Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a public health concern with over 6.5 million cases and 390,000 deaths around the world. This research aimed to find an association between computed tomography (CT) scores and clinical and laboratory findings to estimate the extent of lung infection in patients with COVID-19. The study sample enrolled 129 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from January to February 2020. The chest CT images and clinical data were reviewed, images were segmented and scored by the degree of involvement from 0 to 4, and the relationship between them and clinical and laboratory findings were analyzed statistically. This study included 74 men and 59 women with a mean age of 55.08 years. Different abnormalities were observed;the mean CT score was 8.52 (7.83 to 9.21) and the most frequent lesions were GGO and consolidation. Our results revealed significant differences between groups categorized by dyspnea, sore throat, and low oxygen saturation concerning CT scores. There was also a significant correlation between CT scores and WBC counts and CRP levels (P<0.05). The evidence from this study implies that clinical and laboratory data, such as CRP, dyspnea, lymphopenia, and symptom onset closely correspond to chest CT scores and may be employed as initial tools to estimate the extent of lung involvement in COVID-19 patients.Copyright © 2023 Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Understanding the spreading routes of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for patient management and defining biosafety strategies for public and health care workers. Objectives: In the current study, the virus shedding in the upper respiratory as well as blood, stool, and urine specimens of infected patients, was examined using quantitative real-time PCR assay (qRT-PCR).