SARS-CoV-2 and Swabs: Disease Severity and the Numbers of Cycles of Gene Amplification, Single Center Experience
Pediatric COVID-19 determines a mild clinical picture, but few data have been published about the correlation between disease severity and PCR amplification cycles of SARS-CoV-2 from respiratory samples. This correlation is clinically important because it permits the stratification of patients in re...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/5/841 |
| _version_ | 1827741711257829376 |
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| author | Raffaele Falsaperla Vincenzo Sortino Ausilia Desiree Collotta Silvia Marino Piero Pavone Laura Grassi Grete Francesca Privitera Martino Ruggieri |
| author_facet | Raffaele Falsaperla Vincenzo Sortino Ausilia Desiree Collotta Silvia Marino Piero Pavone Laura Grassi Grete Francesca Privitera Martino Ruggieri |
| author_sort | Raffaele Falsaperla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pediatric COVID-19 determines a mild clinical picture, but few data have been published about the correlation between disease severity and PCR amplification cycles of SARS-CoV-2 from respiratory samples. This correlation is clinically important because it permits the stratification of patients in relation to their risk of developing a serious disease. Therefore, the primary endpoint of this study was to establish whether disease severity at the onset, when evaluated with a LqSOFA score, correlated with the gene amplification of SARS-CoV-2. LqSOFA score, also named the Liverpool quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, is a pediatric score that indicates the severity of illness with a range from 0 to 4 that incorporates age-adjusted heart rate, respiratory rate, capillary refill and consciousness level (AVPU). The secondary endpoint was to determine if this score could predict the days of duration for symptoms and positive swabs. Our study included 124 patients aged between 0 and 18 years. The LqSOFA score was negatively correlated with the number of PCR amplification cycles, but this was not significant (Pearson’s index −0.14, <i>p</i>-value 0.13). Instead, the correlation between the LqSOFA score and the duration of symptoms was positively related and statistically significant (Pearson’s index 0.20, <i>p</i>-value 0.02), such as the correlation between the LqSOFA score and the duration of a positive swab (Pearson’s index 0.40, <i>p</i>-value < 0.01). So, the LqSOFA score upon admission may predict the duration of symptoms and positive swabs; the PCR amplification of SARS-CoV-2 appears not to play a key role at onset in the prediction of disease severity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:50:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a6d2cf41d0744243b28d3459bb0a3144 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:50:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-a6d2cf41d0744243b28d3459bb0a31442023-11-18T00:55:42ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672023-05-0110584110.3390/children10050841SARS-CoV-2 and Swabs: Disease Severity and the Numbers of Cycles of Gene Amplification, Single Center ExperienceRaffaele Falsaperla0Vincenzo Sortino1Ausilia Desiree Collotta2Silvia Marino3Piero Pavone4Laura Grassi5Grete Francesca Privitera6Martino Ruggieri7Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Neonatal Accompaniment Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, “Rodolico-San Marco”, San Marco Hospital, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, ItalyUnit of Clinical Paediatrics, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, “Rodolico-San Marco”, San Marco Hospital, 95121 Catania, ItalyUnit of Clinical Paediatrics, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, “Rodolico-San Marco”, San Marco Hospital, 95121 Catania, ItalyUnit of Clinical Paediatrics, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, “Rodolico-San Marco”, San Marco Hospital, 95121 Catania, ItalyUnit of Clinical Pediatrics, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, PO “G. Rodolico”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyPostgraduate Training Program in Pediatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyBioinformatics Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyUnit of Clinical Pediatrics, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, PO “G. Rodolico”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyPediatric COVID-19 determines a mild clinical picture, but few data have been published about the correlation between disease severity and PCR amplification cycles of SARS-CoV-2 from respiratory samples. This correlation is clinically important because it permits the stratification of patients in relation to their risk of developing a serious disease. Therefore, the primary endpoint of this study was to establish whether disease severity at the onset, when evaluated with a LqSOFA score, correlated with the gene amplification of SARS-CoV-2. LqSOFA score, also named the Liverpool quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, is a pediatric score that indicates the severity of illness with a range from 0 to 4 that incorporates age-adjusted heart rate, respiratory rate, capillary refill and consciousness level (AVPU). The secondary endpoint was to determine if this score could predict the days of duration for symptoms and positive swabs. Our study included 124 patients aged between 0 and 18 years. The LqSOFA score was negatively correlated with the number of PCR amplification cycles, but this was not significant (Pearson’s index −0.14, <i>p</i>-value 0.13). Instead, the correlation between the LqSOFA score and the duration of symptoms was positively related and statistically significant (Pearson’s index 0.20, <i>p</i>-value 0.02), such as the correlation between the LqSOFA score and the duration of a positive swab (Pearson’s index 0.40, <i>p</i>-value < 0.01). So, the LqSOFA score upon admission may predict the duration of symptoms and positive swabs; the PCR amplification of SARS-CoV-2 appears not to play a key role at onset in the prediction of disease severity.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/5/841SARS-CoV-2 infectionCOVID-19emergencypediatric carePCR amplificationLqSOFA score |
| spellingShingle | Raffaele Falsaperla Vincenzo Sortino Ausilia Desiree Collotta Silvia Marino Piero Pavone Laura Grassi Grete Francesca Privitera Martino Ruggieri SARS-CoV-2 and Swabs: Disease Severity and the Numbers of Cycles of Gene Amplification, Single Center Experience Children SARS-CoV-2 infection COVID-19 emergency pediatric care PCR amplification LqSOFA score |
| title | SARS-CoV-2 and Swabs: Disease Severity and the Numbers of Cycles of Gene Amplification, Single Center Experience |
| title_full | SARS-CoV-2 and Swabs: Disease Severity and the Numbers of Cycles of Gene Amplification, Single Center Experience |
| title_fullStr | SARS-CoV-2 and Swabs: Disease Severity and the Numbers of Cycles of Gene Amplification, Single Center Experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | SARS-CoV-2 and Swabs: Disease Severity and the Numbers of Cycles of Gene Amplification, Single Center Experience |
| title_short | SARS-CoV-2 and Swabs: Disease Severity and the Numbers of Cycles of Gene Amplification, Single Center Experience |
| title_sort | sars cov 2 and swabs disease severity and the numbers of cycles of gene amplification single center experience |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 infection COVID-19 emergency pediatric care PCR amplification LqSOFA score |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/5/841 |
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