ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To determine the signs, symptoms, and diagnoses that are significantly upregulated in cases of long COVID while identifying risk factors and demographics that increase one's likelihood of developing long COVID. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This is a retrospective, big data science study. Data from Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers across the United States between the start of 2020 and the end of 2022 were utilized. Our cohort consists of 316,782 individuals with positive COVID-19 tests recorded in the VA EHR with a history of ICD10-CM diagnosis codes in the record for case-control comparison. We looked at all new diagnoses that were not present in the six months before COVID diagnosis but were present in the time period from one month after COVID through seven months after. We determined which were significantly enriched and calculated odds ratios for each, organized by long COVID subtypes by medical specialty / affected organ system. Demographic analyses were also performed for long COVID patients and patients without any new long COVID ICD10-CM codes. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: This profile shows disorders that are highly upregulated in the post-COVID population and provides strong evidence for a broad definition of long COVID. By breaking this into subtypes by medical specialty, we define cardiac long COVID, neurological long COVID, pulmonary long COVID, and eight others. The long COVID cohort was older with more comorbidities than their non-long COVID counterparts. We also noted any differences regarding sex, race, ethnicity, severity of acute COVID-19 symptoms, vaccination status, as well as some analysis regarding medications taken. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This profile can be utilized to decisively define long COVID as a clinical diagnosis and will lead to consistence in future research. Elucidating an actionable model for long COVID will help clinicians identify those in their care that may be experiencing long COVID, allowing them to be admitted into more intensive monitoring and treatment programs.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: It is important for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine providers, vaccine recipients, and those not yet vaccinated to be well informed about vaccine side effects. We sought to estimate the risk of post-vaccination venous thromboembolism (VTE) to meet this need. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to quantify excess VTE risk associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in US veterans age 45 and older using data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Surveillance Tool. The vaccinated cohort received at least one dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine at least 60 days prior to 3/06/22 (N = 855,686). The control group was those not vaccinated (N = 321,676). All patients were COVID-19 tested at least once before vaccination with a negative test. The main outcome was VTE documented by ICD10-CM codes. Results: Vaccinated persons had a VTE rate of 1.3755 (CI: 1.3752-1.3758) per thousand, which was 0.1 percent over the baseline rate of 1.3741 (CI: 1.3738-1.3744) per thousand in the unvaccinated patients, or 1.4 excess cases per 1,000,000. All vaccine types showed a minimal increased rate of VTE (rate of VTE per 1000 was 1.3761 (CI: 1.3754-1.3768) for Janssen; 1.3757 (CI: 1.3754-1.3761) for Pfizer, and for Moderna, the rate was 1.3757 (CI: 1.3748-1.3877)). The tiny differences in rates comparing either Janssen or Pfizer vaccine to Moderna were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Adjusting for age, sex, BMI, 2-year Elixhauser score, and race, the vaccinated group had a minimally higher relative risk of VTE as compared to controls (1.0009927 CI: 1.007673-1.0012181; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results provide reassurance that there is only a trivial increased risk of VTE with the current US SARS-CoV-2 vaccines used in veterans older than age 45. This risk is significantly less than VTE risk among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The risk-benefit ratio favors vaccination, given the VTE rate, mortality, and morbidity associated with COVID-19 infection.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 is a major health threat around the world causing hundreds of millions of infections and millions of deaths. There is a pressing global need for effective therapies. We hypothesized that leukotriene inhibitors (LTIs), that have been shown to lower IL6 and IL8 levels, may have a protective effect in patients with COVID-19. Methods: In this retrospective controlled cohort study, we compared death rates in COVID-19 patients who were taking a LTI with those who were not taking an LTI. We used the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) to create a cohort of COVID-19-positive patients and tracked their use of LTIs between November 1, 2019 and November 11, 2021. Results: Of the 1,677,595 cohort of patients tested for COVID-19, 189,195 patients tested positive for COVID-19. Forty thousand seven hundred one were admitted. 38,184 had an oxygen requirement and 1214 were taking an LTI. The use of dexamethasone plus a LTI in hospital showed a survival advantage of 13.5% (CI: 0.23%-26.7%; p < 0.01) in patients presenting with a minimal O2Sat of 50% or less. For patients with an O2Sat of <60 and <50% if they were on LTIs as outpatients, continuing the LTI led to a 14.4% and 22.25 survival advantage if they were continued on the medication as inpatients. Conclusions: When combined dexamethasone and LTIs provided a mortality benefit in COVID-19 patients presenting with an O2 saturations <50%. The LTI cohort had lower markers of inflammation and cytokine storm.