Dataset Information

COVID-19 in Italy: Comparison of CT Findings from Time Zero to the Delta Variant.

ABSTRACT: On 12 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel Coronavirus (CoV) disease a global Pandemic and an emerging risk. In order to understand patterns that are typical in COVID-19 pneumonia and track the evolution of the disease, the role of the chest computed tomography (CT) is pivotal. The impact of the illness as well as the efficiency of the therapy are also monitored carefully when performing this imaging exam. Coronaviruses, specifically CoV-2, as RNA viruses, have a tendency to frequently change their genome, giving the virus beneficial characteristics such as greater transmissibility, pathogenicity and the possibility to escape the previously acquired immunity. Therefore, genome evaluation became an extremely important routine practice worldwide. In particular, in Italy, four variants have been recognised and each of them represent a specific temporal wave of the disease. Hence, our goal was to describe imaging findings of COVID-19 pneumonia, specifically its most typical imaging identified during the period of our study, and to assess whether or not SARS-CoV-2 variants determine different CT patterns. Our analyses revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 genotype seems not to interfere with the severity of CT patterns and, in particular, bilateral Ground Glass Opacities (GGOs) are the most frequent findings in all COVID-19 waves.

SUBMITTER: Maggialetti N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9026540 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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COVID-19 in Italy: Comparison of CT Findings from Time Zero to the Delta Variant.

Maggialetti Nicola N Villanova Ilaria I Castrì Annalisa A Greco Chiara Noemi CN Inchingolo Francesco F Virgilio Daniele D Moschetta Marco M Sardaro Angela A Stabile Ianora Amato Antonio AA Scardapane Arnaldo A

Microorganisms 20220409 4

On 12 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel Coronavirus (CoV) disease a global Pandemic and an emerging risk. In order to understand patterns that are typical in COVID-19 pneumonia and track the evolution of the disease, the role of the chest computed tomography (CT) is pivotal. The impact of the illness as well as the efficiency of the therapy are also monitored carefully when performing this imaging exam. Coronaviruses, specifically CoV-2, as RNA viruses, have a te ...[more]

PMID: 35456846

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Project description:BackgroundWith the emergence of the delta variant, the United States experienced a rapid increase in Covid-19 cases in 2021. We estimated the risk of breakthrough infection and death by month of vaccination as a proxy for waning immunity during a period of delta variant predominance.MethodsCovid-19 case and death data from 15 U.S. jurisdictions during January 3 to September 4, 2021 were used to estimate weekly hazard rates among fully vaccinated persons, stratified by age group and vaccine product. Case and death rates during August 1 to September 4, 2021 were presented across four cohorts defined by month of vaccination. Poisson models were used to estimate adjusted rate ratios comparing the earlier cohorts to July rates.ResultsDuring August 1 to September 4, 2021, case rates per 100,000 person-weeks among all vaccine recipients for the January to February, March to April, May to June, and July cohorts were 168.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 167.5 to 170.1), 123.5 (95% CI, 122.8 to 124.1), 83.6 (95% CI, 82.9 to 84.3), and 63.1 (95% CI, 61.6 to 64.6), respectively. Similar trends were observed by age group for BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine recipients. Rates for the Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen-Johnson & Johnson) vaccine were higher; however, trends were inconsistent. BNT162b2 vaccine recipients 65 years of age or older had higher death rates among those vaccinated earlier in the year. Protection against death was sustained for the mRNA-1273 vaccine recipients. Across age groups and vaccine types, people who were vaccinated 6 months ago or longer (January-February) were 3.44 (3.36 to 3.53) times more likely to be infected and 1.70 (1.29 to 2.23) times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people vaccinated recently in July 2021.ConclusionsOur study suggests that protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection among all ages or death among older adults waned with increasing time since vaccination during a period of delta predominance. These results add to the evidence base that supports U.S. booster recommendations, especially for older adults vaccinated with BNT162b2 and recipients of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine. (Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.).

Project description:Background The standard for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 virus is reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, but chest CT may play a complimentary role in the early detection of COVID-19 pneumonia. Purpose To investigate CT features of patients with COVID-19 in Rome, Italy, and to compare the accuracy of CT with RT-PCR. Methods In this prospective study from March 4, 2020, until March 19, 2020, consecutive patients with suspected COVID-19 infection and respiratory symptoms were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were: chest CT with contrast medium performed for vascular indications, patients who refused chest CT or hospitalization, and severe CT motion artifact. All patients underwent RT-PCR and chest CT. Diagnostic performance of CT was calculated using RT-PCR as reference. Chest CT features were calculated in a subgroup of RT-PCR-positive and CT-positive patients. CT features of hospitalized patients and patient in home isolation were compared by using Pearson chi squared test. Results Our study population comprised 158 consecutive study participants (83 male and 75 female, mean age 57 y ±17). Fever was observed in 97/158 (61%), cough in 88/158 (56%), dyspnea in 52/158 (33%), lymphocytopenia in 95/158 (60%), increased C-reactive protein level in 139/158 (88%), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase in 128/158 (81%) study participants. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of CT were 97% (60/62)[95% IC, 88-99%], 56% (54/96)[95% IC,45-66%] and 72% (114/158)[95% IC 64-78%], respectively. In the subgroup of RT-PCR-positive and CT-positive patients, ground-glass opacities (GGO) were present in 58/58 (100%), multilobe and posterior involvement were both present in 54/58 (93%), bilateral pneumonia in 53/58 (91%), and subsegmental vessel enlargement (> 3 mm) in 52/58 (89%) of study participants. Conclusion The typical pattern of COVID-19 pneumonia in Rome, Italy, was peripherally ground-glass opacities with multilobe and posterior involvement, bilateral distribution, and subsegmental vessel enlargement (> 3 mm). Chest CT sensitivity was high (97%) but with lower specificity (56%).

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Dataset Information

COVID-19 in Italy: Comparison of CT Findings from Time Zero to the Delta Variant.

Publications

COVID-19 in Italy: Comparison of CT Findings from Time Zero to the Delta Variant.

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