Virus in the blood can predict severe COVID-19, researchers find

Date:
September 2, 2020
Source:
Karolinska Institutet
Summary:
A blood test on hospital admission showing the presence or absence
of SARS-CoV-2 can identify patients at a high risk of severe
COVID-19, according to researchers. Admitted patients without
virus in their blood have a good chance of rapid recovery.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A blood test on hospital admission showing the presence or absence
of SARS-CoV- 2 can identify patients at a high risk of severe
COVID-19. Admitted patients without virus in their blood have a good
chance of rapid recovery. This according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital in a new study published in the
scientific journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.


========================================================================== Blood samples were taken from patients with a confirmed COVID-19 infection within three days of admission to the Department of Infectious Diseases, Danderyd Hospital, Sweden. Patients with measurable levels of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in their blood were seven times more likely to
develop critical symptoms and eight times more likely to die within
28 days.

"This readily available test allows us to identify patient groups at
high or low risk of severe COVID-19, which enables us to better guide
the treatment and monitoring of these patients," says the study's lead
author Karl Hagman, infectious diseases consultant at Danderyd Hospital
and doctoral student at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Clinical
Sciences at the same hospital.

The researchers analysed the presence of viral RNA in the blood
using a standard hospital technique called PCR on samples taken from
a total of 167 patients. Sixty-one patients had measurable levels of
the virus in their blood and 15/61 (25 per cent) died within 28 days of
blood sampling. This can be compared with three deaths (three per cent)
amongst the 106 patients who did not have measurable levels of virus in
their blood. The presence of virus in the blood increased with age and
was much more common in patients over the age of 60.

The researchers received no specific funding for this study. The paper's
last author, Johan Ursing, has a clinical research position financed by
Region Stockholm. One of the co-authors has reported receipt of payment
from pharmaceutical company Pfizer outside this current study. No other potential conflicts of interest are declared in the paper.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Karolinska_Institutet. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Karl Hagman, Magnus Hedenstierna, Patrik Gille-Johnson, Berit
Hammas,
Malin Grabbe, Joakim Dillner, Johan Ursing. SARS-CoV-2 RNA in
serum as predictor of severe outcome in COVID-19: a retrospective
cohort study.

Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2020; DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1285 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200902091108.htm

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