ABSTRACT
Long-term exposure to ambient air pollutant concentrations is known to cause chronic lung inflammation, a condition that may promote increased severity of COVID-19 syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In this paper, we empirically investigate the ecologic association between long-term concentrations of area-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and excess deaths in the first quarter of 2020 in municipalities of Northern Italy. The study accounts for potentially spatial confounding factors related to urbanization that may have influenced the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 and related COVID-19 mortality. Our epidemiological analysis uses geographical information (e.g., municipalities) and negative binomial regression to assess whether both ambient PM2.5 concentration and excess mortality have a similar spatial distribution. Our analysis suggests a positive association of ambient PM2.5 concentration on excess mortality in Northern Italy related to the COVID-19 epidemic. Our estimates suggest that a one-unit increase in PM2.5 concentration (μg/m3) is associated with a 9% (95% confidence interval: 6% - 12%) increase in COVID-19 related mortality.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , PneumoniaABSTRACT
Long-term exposure to ambient air pollutant concentrations is known to cause chronic lung inflammation, a condition that may promote increased severity of COVID-19 syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). In this paper, we empirically investigate the ecologic association between long-term concentrations of area-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and excess deaths in the first quarter of 2020 in municipalities of Northern Italy. The study accounts for potentially spatial confounding factors related to urbanization that may have influenced the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 and related COVID-19 mortality. Our epidemiological analysis uses geographical information (e.g., municipalities) and negative binomial regression to assess whether both ambient PM2.5 concentration and excess mortality have a similar spatial distribution. Our analysis suggests a positive association of ambient PM2.5 concentration on excess mortality in Northern Italy related to the COVID-19 epidemic. Our estimates suggest that a one-unit increase in PM2.5 concentration (μg/m3) is associated with a 9% (95% confidence interval: 6% - 12%) increase in COVID-19 related mortality.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , PneumoniaABSTRACT
A hypercoagulability state with fatal thrombosis events seems to characterize the clinical worsening of COVID-19 pneumonia. The benefit and safety of anticoagulant doses of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in COVID-19 are still unknown. We evaluated in a retrospective cohort study 257 COVID-19 patients consecutively admitted to our COVID-Hospital from February 29, to April 7, 2020. We compared the in-hospital mortality between patients treated with prophylactic or therapeutic doses of LMWH. Of the 257 patients enrolled, 49 (19.1%) died during the hospitalization. Hospital mortality was significantly lower in patients treated with therapeutic doses of LMWH (enoxaparin 70-100 I.U./kg twice daily) (17/126, 13.5%), than in patients treated with prophylactic doses (60-90 I.U./kg once daily) (32/131, 24.4%; χ²=4.98, p = 0.02). In a stratified analysis by ventilation type, the only subgroup of patients who benefited from therapeutic LMWH was that requiring noninvasive mechanical ventilation (OR=0.099, 95% CI 0.028-0.354, p<0.001). No fatal bleedings were observed. In this retrospective study the treatment with therapeutic LMWH is safe and seems to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients, especially among those who need noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Authors Daniela Aschieri and Marco Stabile contributed equally to this work.