Comparison of common para-clinical and laboratory methods in Iran: for the diagnosis of Covid-19 disease

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute RespiratorySyndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was first discovered in China in late 2019 and spreadrapidly worldwide. This study aimed to correlate positive real time Reverse TranscriptasePolymerase Reaction (RT-PCR) results after one month of follow-up with laboratory findingsof the same patients at hospital admission to predict clinical outcome and diagnosis.Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on the laboratory findings of299 adult patients suspected of COVID-19. Patients were admitted to hospital from March21 to May 25, 2021 with final follow-up of one month for each patient. After one month offollow-up, 233 patients recovered; however, in 64 patients the symptoms worsened. For thesepatients RT-PCR was performed and some patients needed chest Computed Tomography(CT) imaging and were hospitalized. We extracted laboratory findings of these 64 patients andcorrelated the results of their RT-PCR with their laboratory findings.Results: Based on our findings, severe cases are middle-aged adults (P=0.001) withlymphopenia (P<0.001), decreased levels of white blood cells (WBCs) (P<0.001), and platelets(P=0.007) count along with elevated COVID-19 IgG antibody (P=0.002) and ErythrocyteSedimentation Rate (ESR) (P<0.001).Conclusion: RT-PCR is not necessary at admission; instead, some routine hematologyexaminations and serological tests can predict the prognosis of COVID- 19 disease.  Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a newly emerging virus, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was first discovered in China in late 2019 and has spread rapidly worldwide. This study aimed to correlate patients with positive real time reverse transcriptase polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) results after one month of follow-up with their laboratory findings at hospital admission to predict clinical outcome and diagnosis. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on the laboratory findings of 299 adult patients suspected with COVID-19. Patients were admitted to hospital from 21 March 2021 to 25 May 2021 with final follow-up of one month for each patient. Results: After one month of follow-up, 233 patients recovered but in 64 patients, the symptoms worsened. For these patients RT-PCR was performed and some patients needed chest computed tomography (CT) imaging and were hospitalized. We extracted laboratory findings of these 64 patients at hospital admission and correlate the results of their RT-PCR with their laboratory findings. Conclusions: Based on our results, severe cases are middle-aged adults (p = 0.001) with lymphopenia (p<0.001) and decreased levels of white blood cells (WBCs) (p<0.001) and platelets (p = 0.007) count along with elevated COVID-19 IgG antibody (p = 0.002) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p<0.001). It is therefore suggested that RT-PCR is not necessary at admission; instead, some routine hematology examinations and serological tests can predict the prognosis of COVID- 19 disease