The use of chest X-rays in patients with COVID-19 pandemic and its relevance in early diagnosis and assessment of the severity of disease

BACKGROUND: In time of pandemic there is a lot of adjuncts use to help of victims in respect of diagnosis, treatments and preventions. Chest X-rays one of the tests which use in rapid assessment of cases ‘of SARS- COVID 19.METHODS: Early in crisis of COVID-19, 95 patients with symptoms and sign of covid19 viral infection, who meet the criteria of infection, were included in the study. fifty six (61.9%) were female and thirty six (38.1%) were male, during the period from august to October 2020, their age range from 18 to 79 years, their mean ages 46.81±16.07 years. all sent for chest X-rays examination in addition to the highly refined physical examination.RESULTS: Only seven chest X-rays reading (7.4%) patients were negative and 85 (92.6%) patients were positive for evidence of infection with COVID-19 suspecting pneumonia, the respiratory symptoms significantly correlate more with radiological changes than the presence of only general symptoms accompanied COVID-19 suspected Infected patients, especially bilateral radiological lesions is predominant type and the right-side involvement is the predominant side of the unilateral lesions.CONCLUSIONS: Plain simple chest X-rays is a valuable test in the diagnosis of COVID-19 during early stage of pandemic pending the PCR results.