Clinical Significance of Cycle Threshold Value of Nasopharyngeal COVID-19 PCR on Disease Outcome: An Egyptian Study

Objectives: To study the correlation between the cycle threshold (CT) of reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) test in confirmed Covid-19 patients and the clinical course outcomes of disease. Study design : This is a retrospective cross sectional comparative study that started From August -2021 to – January 2022. Methods : 1350 patients with COVID-19 infection subjected to real time PCR which compared according to their status (negative, weak positive and positive) regarding risk factors and clinical outcomes. Results : Of the first 1530 patients presented to Suez Canal University isolation hospital, 224 (14.6%) died, 1275 (83.3%) were admitted to hospital and were improved, and 21(1.37%) were sent for home isolation. The most common presenting symptoms were fever (1054/1530), cough (1057/1530), and dyspnea (1073/1530). The most common baseline comorbidities included hypertension 482(31.5%), diabetes 406(26.5%), ischemic heart disease 103 (6.7%), and Cardiovascular stroke CVS 81(5.3). Conclusion : Data suggest that lower Ct values may be associated with worse outcomes and that Ct values may be useful in predicting the clinical course and prognosis of patients with Covid-19; however, further studies are warranted to confirm its clinical value.