Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic Of Iran

en Exploring the Link Between SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Cycle Threshold, Clinical Characteristics, and Laboratory Results in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients With Neurological and Autoimmune Conditions COVID 19 Original Research Original Research     Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is having a significant impact on global health and the global economy. Notably, the virus can persist in various organs postinfection, potentially triggering chronic inflammation and long-term health issues, including neurological and autoimmune disorders. This study examines the association between SARS-CoV-2 viral load (measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] cycle threshold [Ct] values) and clinical/laboratory parameters in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with preexisting neurological or autoimmune disorders.     Methods: This cross-sectional study included 86 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Kowsar and Amir-Al-Momenin hospitals, affiliated with Semnan University of Medical Sciences, from September 2022 to March 2023. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples were collected and analyzed using RT-PCR. Clinical data, including demographic information, clinical manifestations, and laboratory parameters, were statistically analyzed using SPSS (version 26). Variables with P ≤ 0.05 were considered significant.     Results: This cohort study comprised 38 men (44.2%) and 48 women (55.8%), with a median age of 61 years. Neurological diseases were present in 12 patients (14%), and autoimmune diseases were observed in 6 patients (7%). The mean age of patients with neurological diseases was significantly higher than that of patients without neurological diseases (74.75 vs 66.24 years, P = 0.045). At the same time, no significant differences were found in clinical parameters, including fasting blood glucose (FBG), white blood cell (WBC) count, and liver function tests (AST, ALT), between patients with and without neurological or autoimmune diseases. Survival analysis indicated a marginally significant association between neurological diseases and survival (P = 0.050), whereas no significant association was observed for autoimmune diseases.    Conclusion: This study did not find significant associations between SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Ct values and the presence of neurological or autoimmune diseases in COVID-19 patients. While Ct values reflect viral load, other factors, such as pre-existing conditions, genetic predisposition, and immune responses, may play a more critical role in the development of these conditions. Further prospective studies are necessary to elucidate these complex relationships and improve patient treatment strategies.   COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Cycle threshold, Neurological diseases, Autoimmune diseases, RT-PCR, Viral load 1499 1505 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-4980-4&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Mohammad Ghodrati mohammadghodrati478@yahoo.com 200319475328460095843 0009-0001-2133-2595 No Student Research Committee, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran Ramtin Naderian ramtinndn@gmail.com 200319475328460095844 200319475328460095844 No Student Research Committee, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran Ali Ghasemi a.ghasemi@semums.ac.ir 200319475328460095845 200319475328460095845 No Department of Biochemistry and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran Mahdieh Tarahomi M.Tarahomi94@gmail.com 200319475328460095846 200319475328460095846 No Student Research Committee, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran Pegah Pooya pgahpooya1994@yahoo.com 200319475328460095847 0009-0002-2097-7639 No Department of Molecular Virology, Semnan Health Reference Laboratory, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran Majid Eslami majid.bac@gmail.com 200319475328460095848 200319475328460095848 No Department of Biochemistry and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran Hadi Ghaffari Hghaffari@semums.ac.ir 200319475328460095849 200319475328460095849 Yes Department of Biochemistry and Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran