scholarly journals Susceptibility of β-Thalassemia Heterozygotes to COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 3645
Author(s):  
Sotirios Sotiriou ◽  
Athina A. Samara ◽  
Dimitra Vamvakopoulou ◽  
Konstantinos-Odysseas Vamvakopoulos ◽  
Andreas Sidiropoulos ◽  
...  

Background: β-Thalassemia is the most prevalent single gene blood disorder, while the assessment of its susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) warrants it a pressing biomedical priority. Methods: We studied 255 positive COVID-19 participants unvaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), consecutively recruited during the last trimester of 2020. Patient characteristics including age, sex, current smoking status, atrial fibrillation, chronic respiratory disease, coronary disease, diabetes, neoplasia, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and β-thalassemia heterozygosity were assessed for COVID-19 severity, length of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality from COVID-19. Results: We assessed patient characteristics associated with clinical symptoms, ICU admission, and mortality from COVID-19. In multivariate analysis, severe-critical COVID-19 was strongly associated with male sex (p = 0.023), increased age (p < 0.001), and β-thalassemia heterozygosity (p = 0.002, OR = 2.89). Regarding the requirement for ICU care, in multivariate analysis there was a statistically significant association with hypertension (p = 0.001, OR = 5.12), while β-thalassemia heterozygosity had no effect (p = 0.508, OR = 1.33). Mortality was linked to male sex (p = 0.036, OR = 2.09), increased age (p < 0.001) and β-thalassemia heterozygosity (p = 0.010, OR = 2.79) in multivariate analysis. It is worth noting that hyperlipidemia reduced mortality from COVID-19 (p = 0.008, OR = 0.38). No statistically significant association of current smoking status with patient characteristics studied was observed. Conclusions: Our pilot observations indicate enhanced mortality of β-thalassemia heterozygotes from COVID-19.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazar Zaki ◽  
Elfadil A. Mohamed ◽  
Sahar Ibrahim ◽  
Gulfaraz Khan

AbstractA novel form of coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly across the world. This disease, originating in Wuhan, China, has become a global pandemic. What risk factors influence the severity of the disease is of considerable importance. This research is intended to offer a systematic review/meta-analysis for assessing how common clinical conditions and comorbidities correlate with COVID-19. The meta-analysis incorporated seven studies covering 4101 COVID-19 patients from Chinese hospitals who had their diagnosis confirmed through laboratory testing. The findings demonstrate that the most common comorbidities with the disease were COPD (2.53%, OR 3.24 [95% CI: 1.99-4.45], p< 0.0006), cardiovascular disease (10.76%, OR 2.89 [95% CI: 1.90-4.40], p <0.0001), coronary heart disease (5.52%, OR 2.97 [95% CI: 1.99-4.45], p <0.0001), diabetes (11.34%, OR 2.27, [95% CI: 1.46-3.53], p = 0.0003), and hypertension (22.07%, OR 2.43 [95% CI: 1.71-3.45], p <0.0001). No significant associations were found for disease severity with the comorbidities of kidney disease, liver disease, or cancer. The most frequently exhibited clinical symptoms were fever (74.52%, OR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01-1.86, p = 0.04), cough (62.15%, OR 1.25, 95% CI: 0.97-1.60, p = 0.0823), myalgia/fatigue (38.77%, OR 1.31, 95% CI: 1.11-1.55, p = 0.0018), dyspnea (33.9%, OR 3.61, 95% CI: 2.57-5.06, p = <0.0001), respiratory failure/ARDS (20.6%, OR 11.46, 95% CI: 3.24-40.56, p = 0.0002), diarrhea (11.21%) and chest tightness/pain (16.82%, OR 2.17, 95% CI: 1.40-3.36, p = 0.0006). Meta-analysis also revealed that neither the duration of the incubation period nor current smoking status associated with disease severity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Webber ◽  
Andrew N Davies

Context: observational studies in North America suggest alcohol dependence is a common problem in advanced cancer patients and is associated with a high burden of physical and psychological symptoms. The prevalence of all types of alcohol use disorders, and the relationship between alcohol use disorders and symptoms, has not been studied. Objectives: this observational, cross-sectional study was designed to determine the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in patients with advanced cancer and establish if such patients have a higher symptom burden. Methods: sequential patients referred to the palliative medicine team at a United Kingdom cancer centre completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form (MSAS-SF). Results: 120 patients participated in the study. Twenty-two (18%) patients screened positively for the presence of an alcohol use disorder. This study found no significant association between alcohol use disorders and the presence of anxiety ( P = 0.38) or depression ( P = 0.81) on the HADS or the global distress index subscale ( P = 0.142), physical symptom distress index subscale ( P = 0.734), or the psychological distress index subscale ( P = 0.154) on the MSAS-SF. Current smoking status was the only independent predictor for the presence of an alcohol use disorder ( P < 0.001). Seven (6%) patients screened positively for high-risk alcohol use disorders. Current smoking status ( P < 0.001) and male gender ( p < 0.001) were independent predictors of this problem. Conclusions: alcohol use disorders in this cohort of patients were not associated with a higher symptom burden, and the prevalence was lower than the general United Kingdom population.


2005 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl-Heinz Ladwig ◽  
Jens Baumert ◽  
Hannelore Löwel ◽  
Angela Döring ◽  
Heinz-Erich Wichmann

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 581-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla J. Berg ◽  
Hefei Wen ◽  
Janet R. Cummings ◽  
Jasjit S. Ahluwalia ◽  
Benjamin G. Druss

Pain ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph W. Ditre ◽  
Brian D. Gonzalez ◽  
Vani N. Simmons ◽  
Leigh Anne Faul ◽  
Thomas H. Brandon ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luhang Han ◽  
Hongmei Zhang ◽  
Akhilesh Kaushal ◽  
Faisal I. Rezwan ◽  
Latha Kadalayil ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Adolescence is a period characterized by major biological development, which may be associated with changes in DNA methylation (DNA-M). However, it is unknown to what extent DNA-M varies from pre- to post-adolescence, whether the pattern of changes is different between females and males, and how adolescence-related factors are associated with changes in DNA-M. Methods Genome-scale DNA-M at ages 10 and 18 years in whole blood of 325 subjects (n = 140 females) in the Isle of Wight (IOW) birth cohort was analyzed using Illumina Infinium arrays (450K and EPIC). Linear mixed models were used to examine DNA-M changes between pre- and post-adolescence and whether the changes were gender-specific. Adolescence-related factors and environmental exposure factors were assessed on their association with DNA-M changes. Replication of findings was attempted in the comparable Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort. Results In the IOW cohort, after controlling for technical variation and cell compositions at both pre- and post-adolescence, 15,532 cytosine–phosphate–guanine (CpG) sites (of 400,825 CpGs, 3.88%) showed statistically significant DNA-M changes from pre-adolescence to post-adolescence invariant to gender (false discovery rate (FDR) = 0.05). Of these 15,532 CpGs, 10,212 CpGs (66%) were replicated in the ALSPAC cohort. Pathway analysis using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) identified significant biological pathways related to growth and development of the reproductive system, emphasizing the importance of this period of transition on epigenetic state of genes. In addition, in IOW, we identified 1179 CpGs with gender-specific DNA-M changes. In the IOW cohort, body mass index (BMI) at age 10 years, age of growth spurt, nonsteroidal drugs use, and current smoking status showed statistically significant associations with DNA-M changes at 15 CpGs on 14 genes such as the AHRR gene. For BMI at age 10 years, the association was gender-specific. Findings on current smoking status were replicated in the ALSPAC cohort. Conclusion Adolescent transition is associated with changes in DNA-M at more than 15K CpGs. Identified pathways emphasize the importance of this period of transition on epigenetic state of genes relevant to cell growth and immune system development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 00438-2020
Author(s):  
Alex J. van ’t Hul ◽  
Eleonore H. Koolen ◽  
Jeanine C. Antons ◽  
Marianne de Man ◽  
Remco S. Djamin ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe present study assessed the prevalence of nine treatable traits (TTs) pinpointing nonpharmacological interventions in patients with COPD upon first referral to a pulmonologist, how these TTs co-occurred and whether and to what extent the TTs increased the odds having a severely impaired health status.MethodsData were collected from a sample of 402 COPD patients. A second sample of 381 patients with COPD was used for validation. Nine TTs were assessed: current smoking status, activity-related dyspnoea, frequent exacerbations <12 months, severe fatigue, depressed mood, poor physical capacity, low physical activity, poor nutritional status and a low level of self-management activation. For each TT the odds ratio (OR) of having a severe health status impairment was calculated. Furthermore, a graphic representation was created, the COPD sTRAITosphere, to visualise TTs prevalence and OR.ResultsOn average 3.9±2.0 TTs per patient were observed. These TTs occurred relatively independently of each other and coexisted in 151 unique combinations. A significant positive correlation was found between the number of TTs and Clinical COPD Questionnaire total score (r=0.58; p<0.001). Patients with severe fatigue (OR: 8.8), severe activity-related dyspnoea (OR: 5.8) or depressed mood (OR: 4.2) had the highest likelihood of having a severely impaired health status. The validation sample corroborated these findings.ConclusionsUpon first referral to a pulmonologist, COPD patients show multiple TTs indicating them to several nonpharmacological interventions. These TTs coexist in many different combinations, are relatively independent and increase the likelihood of having a severely impaired health status.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Diane Liu ◽  
Emily Younger ◽  
Stacy Baker ◽  
Stephanie Touch ◽  
Tamara Willmoth ◽  
...  

Purpose. Research shows that smoking during pregnancy is related to mental health diagnoses. The purpose of this study was to assess whether current general mental health status is related to current smoking status in pregnant women after controlling for other factors related to both mental health and tobacco use during pregnancy. Methods. This cross-sectional analysis used 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) data for 621 pregnant women aged 18-38 from Florida (N=136), Kansas (N=116), Minnesota (N=105), Nebraska (N=90), New York (N=78), and Utah (N=96). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between current mental health status and current tobacco use, while controlling for state, depression diagnosis, routine checkup, healthcare plan, age, marital status, ethnicity/race, education level, income level, and employment status. Results. Overall, very few participants reported current smoking (6%) and about one-third reported low or moderate mental health status in the past 30 days. Adjusted results indicated that those who reported high mental health status were about 3 times less likely (OR=0.29, 95% CI=0.09, 0.88) to report current smoking status compared to those who reported low mental health status. Conclusions. Overall, current mental health status was highly related to current smoking status in pregnant women. Clinicians in obstetrics may expect a very low proportion of pregnant women to report smoking and up to one-third to report low or moderate current general mental health status. Given that current mental health issues and current tobacco use may harm both mother and child, be highly related in pregnant women, and change throughout the pregnancy, pregnant women should be screened automatically for both at each visit.


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