Do the symptoms affect SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results?

Abstract

Background/aim: In December 2019, a novel coronavirus was defined as a pneumonia agent in China, spread all over the world, and caused severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19) pandemic. The gold standard diagnostic procedure is SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) examination, but might show false negativity. Aim of this retrospective study was to find whether symptoms of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positivity correlate or not, in pneumonia consistent with COVID-19. Materials and methods: Adult (≥18 years of age) patients hospitalized due to pneumonia and who had clinical and/or radiological findings (CO-RADS assessment was made) and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 were enrolled. Results: A total of 191 patients were enrolled, where 66 were females and 125 (65.4%) were males. Mean age was 59.72 ± 16.35 (range 19–89 years). Most common symptoms were dyspnea (61.8%), fever (35.6%), and cough (42.4%). Twenty-two of 191 patients had positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR (11.5%). Dyspnea and fever tended to be more frequent in RT-PCR-positive cases, but in logistic regression analysis (LRA), showed no significance (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Dyspnea and fever tended to be more frequent in RT-PCR-positive cases, but in LRA, they showed no significance. Up to our results, symptoms do not matter for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positivity in patients with pneumonia consistent with COVID-19.