ReviewDiagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)2021
Viral Dynamics and Real-Time RT-PCR Ct Values Correlation with Disease Severity in COVID-19.
Review in Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05525832 (Effect of Nasopharyngeal Wash With Normal Saline on SARS-CoV2 Viral Load), which is not on this map. Cited by 117 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of Nasopharyngeal Wash With Normal Saline on SARS-CoV2 Viral Load: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
117 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 223 citations in OpenAlex.
- Radiologic Abnormalities in Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review.Korean journal of radiology · 2024Pooled it
- Clinical accuracy of instrument-based SARS-CoV-2 antigen diagnostic tests: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Virology journal · 2024Pooled it
- The relationship between COVID-19 viral load and disease severity: A systematic review.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2022Pooled it
- Do COVID-19 CT features vary between patients from within and outside mainland China? Findings from a meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Systematic Review on the Correlation of Quantitative PCR Cycle Threshold Values of Gastrointestinal Pathogens With Patient Clinical Presentation and Outcomes.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Nasopharyngeal Wash with Normal Saline Decreases SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load: A Randomized Pilot Controlled Trial.Canadian respiratory journal · 2022Trial
- Evaluation of a Novel Multiplex PCR Assay for Vesicular Viruses.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Renal function dynamics in COVID-19: exploring biomarker interactions with D-dimer and C-reactive proteins.Bioscience reports · 2026Article
- Retrospective Analysis of eFAST Exams to Detect COVID-19 in Trauma Patients.Emergency medicine international · 2026Article
- Estimating Antigen Test Sensitivity via Target Distribution Balancing: Development and Validation Study.JMIR bioinformatics and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Innovation landscape in nanobiosensors for COVID-19 detection and future implications for a resilient Global Health Security.3 Biotech · 2025Review
- Molecular Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Dogs and Cats from Grenada.Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- Intensity of public health and social measures are associated with effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in test-negative study.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- The association of cycle threshold value with clinical features in patients infected with Omicron variant.Virus research · 2025Article
- Integrated renin angiotensin system dysregulation and immune profiles predict COVID-19 disease severity in a South African cohort.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Intra- and Inter-host Transmission Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Through Viral Load Data Analysis.Cureus · 2025Article
- Difference of clinical characteristics in patients with reinfection and primary infection variants of SARS-CoV-2: a retrospective study in China.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Article
- Key Insights into Respiratory Virus Testing: Sensitivity and Clinical Implications.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Article
57 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors at 16 institutions in 8 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Real-time RT-PCR is considered the gold standard confirmatory test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, many scientists disagree, and it is essential to understand that several factors and variables can cause a false-negative test. In this context, cycle threshold (Ct) values are being utilized to diagnose or predict SARS-CoV-2 infection. This practice has a significant clinical utility as Ct values can be correlated with the viral load. In addition, Ct values have a strong correlation with multiple haematological and biochemical markers. However, it is essential to consider that Ct values might be affected by pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytical variables such as collection technique, specimen type, sampling time, viral kinetics, transport and storage conditions, nucleic acid extraction, viral RNA load, primer designing, real-time PCR efficiency, and Ct value determination method. Therefore, understanding the interpretation of Ct values and other influential factors could play a crucial role in interpreting viral load and disease severity. In several clinical studies consisting of small or large sample sizes, several discrepancies exist regarding a significant positive correlation between the Ct value and disease severity in COVID-19. In this context, a revised review of the literature has been conducted to fill the knowledge gaps regarding the correlations between Ct values and severity/fatality rates of patients with COVID-19. Various databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched up to April 2021 by using keywords including "RT-PCR or viral load", "SARS-CoV-2 and RT-PCR", "Ct value and viral load", "Ct value or COVID-19". Research articles were extracted and selected independently by the authors and included in the present review based on their relevance to the study. The current narrative review explores the correlation of Ct values with mortality, disease progression, severity, and infectivity. We also discuss the factors that can affect these values, such as collection technique, type of swab, sampling method, etc.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.