ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 can alter many systems, including causing crucial hematological and biochemical changes in patients. COVID-19 survivors report persistent symptoms after discharge from hospital. No studies in Senegal are available on this stage of recovery. The aim of our study was to evaluate biological parameters in patients cured of COVID-19. Method(s): A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1 to July 31, 2021. Patients cured of COVID-19 after infection confirmed by real-time PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were recruited. The time from hospital discharge to the start of our study ranged from 1 to 14 months. The study included a questionnaire and a clinical examination followed by blood and urine sampling. Result(s): Fifty patients cured of SARS-CoV2 were recruited with a sex ratio of 1.63. The mean age was 49.74 +/- 12.35 years. The majority of patients had presented a moderate symptomatic form (76%). Only ten patients (20%) were placed on oxygen therapy. The most common hematologic abnormalities were hyperlymphocytosis (52%), hyperbasophilia (48%), and neutropenia (42%). Anemia and leukopenia were found in 8% and 2% of patients respectively. The most frequent biochemical abnormalities were a decrease in HDL-cholesterol (40%), an increase in LDL-cholesterol (32%), a high atherogenicity index (36%) and an increase in d-dimer (3%). An increase in the proteinuria/creatinine ratio was observed in 24% of patients. Conclusion(s): Biological changes were observed in patients cured of COVID-19 due to viral infection and medical treatment. Knowledge of the biological profiles of COVID-19 would help advance infection control strategies.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 containment measures have left adolescent girls in Nairobi, Kenya vulnerable to negative educational, economic, and secondary health outcomes that threaten their safe transitions into adulthood. In June 2020, the Population Council conducted phone-based surveys with 856 girls aged between 10 and 19 in 5 informal settlements who had been surveyed prior to COVID-19 as part of five longitudinal studies. We performed bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses to assess the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and potential protective or risk factors. We found that younger girls are experiencing high levels of food insecurity and difficulty learning from home during school closures, while many older girls face the immediate risk of dropping out of school permanently and have been forgoing needed health services.