Predictors of The Chest CT Score in COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Since the COVID-19 outbreak, pulmonary involvement was one of the most significant concerns in assessing patients. In the current study, we evaluated patient’s signs, symptoms, and laboratory data on the first visit to predict the severity of pulmonary involvement and their outcome regarding their initial findings.Methods: All referred patients to the CODID-19 clinic of a tertiary referral university hospital were evaluated from April to August 2020. Four hundred seventy-eight COVID-19 patients with positive real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or highly suggestive symptoms with computed tomography(CT) imaging results with typical findings of COVID-19 were enrolled in the study. The clinical features, initial laboratory, CT findings, and short-term outcomes (ICU admission, mortality, length of hospitalization, and recovery time) were recorded. In addition, the severity of pulmonary involvement was assessed using a semi-quantitative scoring system (0-25). Results: Among 478 participants in this study, 353 (73.6%) were admitted to the hospital, and 57 (11.9%) patients were admitted to the ICU. Myalgia (60.3%), fever (59.3%), and dyspnea (57.8%) were the most common symptoms of participants at the first visit. A review of chest CT scans showed that Ground Glass Opacity (GGO) (58.5%) and consolidation (20.7%) were the most patterns of lung lesions. Among initial clinical and laboratory findings, anosmia (P = 0.01), respiratory rate (RR) with a cut point of 25 (P = 0.001), C-reactive protein (CRP) with a cut point of 90 (P = 0.002), white Blood Cell (WBC) with a cut point of 10,000 (P = 0.009), and SpO2 with a cut point of 93 (P = 0.04) was associated with higher chest CT score. Lung involvement and consolidation lesions on chest CT scans were also associated with a more extended hospitalization and recovery period.Conclusions: Initial assessment of COVID-19 patients, including symptoms, vital signs, and routine laboratory tests, can predict the severity of lung involvement and unfavorable outcomes.

Seroconversion following the first, second, and third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in immunocompromised population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Concerning immunogenicity and safety of these vaccines, preliminary reports from phase II/III and some real-world data are available to date [ 6 – 9 ]; however, little attention has been paid to immunocompromised (IC) patients since such patients were not included in the primary trials of the above-mentioned vaccines [ 10 ]. IC patients, including those with primary immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases, malignancies, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and those taking immunosuppressive agents, are at higher risk of more severe SARS-CoV-2 infections than the general population [ 11 – 15 ]. So, special considerations should be dedicated to such patients, and investigating the efficacy and safety of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 is crucial in these patients.…”

Evaluation of Follow-Up CT Scans in Patients with Severe Initial Pulmonary Involvement by COVID-19

“…When it comes to COVID-19 pneumonia, the recent radiology literature focuses primarily on CT fndings as they are more sensitive than chest radiography [6][7][8]. A chest CT scan can detect small areas of GGO [9] and, therefore, is a promising imaging modality for monitoring the disease, if the radiation dose is balanced with radiologic principles. However, factors predicting long-term pulmonary sequelae have not yet been fully discussed [10].…”