Revisiting the Immigrant Epidemiological Paradox: Findings from the American Panel of Life 2019

Objective: Immigrants enjoy a health advantage over their US-born counterparts (termed the immigrant paradox), though the extent of this paradox may not extend to all health outcomes. Methods: We analyzed data from the RAND American Life Panel. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the associations between immigrant status and a wide range of health outcomes (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, mental health), adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Being an immigrant was associated with lower odds of having any health condition, multimorbidity, and number of health conditions. When looking at specific conditions, however, immigrant status was only significantly associated with lower odds of depression, nerve problem causing numbness or pain, and obesity, but not other conditions. Conclusion: The immigrant paradox is evident when examining overall health, and specifically depression, nerve problems, and obesity.

Global Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Malaria: An Epidemiological Paradox in the Early Stage of A Pandemic

In the current work, we discovered and analyzed the epidemiological paradox between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and malaria in the initial phase of the ongoing pandemic. From the analysis of distribution data, the endemic presence of malaria seems to protect some populations from COVID-19 outbreak, particularly in the least developed countries. In this sense, molecular and genetic variations associated with malaria (e.g., in ACE2) might play a protective role against coronavirus infection. Moreover, the mechanism of action of some antimalarial drugs, e.g., the antiviral function, suggests their potential role in the chemoprophylaxis of coronavirus epidemics, despite possible adverse effects (e.g., retinal toxicity). All these data provide important insights to understand the spreading mechanisms of COVID-19, and to direct scientific research toward the study of some currently available medications.