Chest X-Ray Findings in COVID-19 Patients Presenting to Primary Care during the Peak of the First Wave of the Pandemic in Qatar: Their Association with Clinical and Laboratory Findings.

When managing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, radiological imaging complements clinical evaluation and laboratory parameters. We aimed to assess the sensitivity of chest radiography findings in detecting COVID-19, describe those findings, and assess the association of positive chest radiography findings with clinical and laboratory findings. A multicentre, cross-sectional study was conducted involving all primary health care corporation-registered patients (2485 patients) enrolled over a 1-month period during the peak of the 2020 pandemic wave in Qatar. These patients had reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 and underwent chest radiography within 72 hours of the swab test. A positive result on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19. The sensitivity of chest radiography was calculated. The airspace opacities were mostly distributed in the peripheral and lower lung zones, and most of the patients had bilateral involvement. Pleural effusion was detected in some cases. The risk of having positive chest X-ray findings increased with age, Southeast Asian nationality, fever, or a history of fever and diarrhoea. Patients with cardiac disease, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease were at a higher risk of having positive chest X-ray findings. There was a statistically significant increase in the mean serum albumin, white blood cell count, neutrophil count, and serum C-reactive protein, hepatic enzymes, and total bilirubin with an increase in the radiographic severity score.

Anxiety and depression during pregnancy in the era of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate anxiety and depression in pregnant women during this global disease. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study recruiting 120 pregnant women. The study was conducted at the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital. We recruited women attending for antenatal care. Anxiety was evaluated using an Arabic validated Kuwait University Anxiety Scale (KUAS). Depression was evaluated using a validated Arabic form of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). RESULTS: The study included 48 (40%) nulliparous and 72 (60%) multiparous women. The mean KUAS scores for nulliparous and multiparous women were 45.27±10.78 and 47.28±10.62. Both nulliparous and multiparous women had a fairly high possibility of depression. Fifty-three (44.2%) of them reported scores ≥ of 14. Ninety-three (77.5%) women thought that COVID-19 pandemic would affect their pregnancies. There was a significant association between the number of women reporting fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic and their KUAS and EPDS scores (p-value <0.001 each). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 affected the mental health of pregnant women to a great extent. Care should be directed to measures that would decrease the impact of this pandemic on vulnerable populations.

IS THERE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MIDKINE LEVELS AND PROGNOSIS OF COVID-19 DİSEASE? (preprint)

Aim: The aim of this study was to measure plasma midkine levels in patients with COVID-19 and to assess its clinical significance. Material and Method: 88 patients followed in our hospital with a diagnosis of COVID-19 were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory data of the patients were recorded, and the relationship between midkine level and prognosis and other parameters were investigated. Results: Of the 88 patients included in the study, 43 (48.9%) were female and 45 (51.1%) were male. 24 (27%) of our cases were died. The mean age of non-survivals was 70 ± 12.3 and the survivals were 61.9 ± 18.2 years. Mortality predictors due to COVID-19 in group 2 patients were significantly higher than those in group 2 (p <0.05). The median (IR) value of the MK level was 152.5±125 pg/ml in all patients, 143±149 pg/ml in survivors and 165.5±76 pg/ml in those who died (p= 0.546). The difference between these two groups compared according to mortality was not statistically significant The area under the ROC curve was found to be 0.542 (95% CI 0.423-0.661, p= 0.546). Conclusion: MK is not a biomarker that can reinforce known predictors of mortality in COVID-19 patients and can provide better predictions of mortality.