Background Recent studies showed that plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNA seems to be associated with worse COVID-19 outcome. However, whether specific population can be at higher risk of viremia are to date unexplored. Methods This cross-sectional proof-of-concept study included 41 SARS-CoV-2-positive adult individuals (six affected by haematological malignancies) hospitalized at two major hospital in Milan, for those demographic, clinical and laboratory data were available. SARS-CoV-2 load was quantified by ddPCR in paired plasma and respiratory samples. To assess significant differences between patients with and patients without viremia, Fisher exact test and Wilcoxon test were used for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Results Plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in 8 patients (19.5%), with a median (IQR) value of 694 (209–1023) copies/mL. Viremic patients were characterized by an higher mortality rate (50.0% vs 9.1%; p = 0.018) respect to patients without viremia. Viremic patients were more frequently affected by haematological malignancies (62.5% vs. 3.0%; p < 0.001), and had higher viral load in respiratory samples (9,404,000 [586,060-10,000,000] vs 1560 [312–25,160] copies/mL; p = 0.002). Conclusions Even if based on a small sample population, this proof-of-concept study poses the basis for an early identification of patients at higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 viremia, and therefore likely to develop severe COVID-19, and supports the need of a quantitative viral load determination in blood and respiratory samples of haematologic patients with COVID-19 in order to predict prognosis and consequently to help their further management. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-021-05886-2.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Hematological malignancies, Viremia, ddPCR, Molecular diagnosis, 【초록키워드】 Hospitalized, severe COVID-19, Prognosis, cross-sectional, hospital, haematological malignancies, outcome, Viral, Viremia, Viral load, management, Patient, plasma, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, mortality rate, respiratory, Respiratory samples, Quantitative, predict, Blood, Support, significant difference, supplementary material, higher risk, significant differences, individual, laboratory data, help, Fisher exact test, haematologic, Wilcoxon test, haematological malignancy, recent, respiratory sample, Result, affected, develop, median, characterized, were used, quantified, IQR, patients with COVID-19, variables, 【제목키워드】 cross-sectional, plasma sample, affected,