ABSTRACT
Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether the prevalence or course of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) changes according to osteoporosis treatment choice and to discuss the necessity of changing osteoporosis treatment during the pandemic especially in older adults. Materials and Methods: We used the data of 828 subjects that we followed up with the diagnosis of osteoporosis in our outpatient clinic in the last two years. Patients were divided into four groups according to the osteoporosis treatment they received (alendronate, denosumab, teriparatide, intravenous zoledronic acid). Treatments for osteoporosis, treatment durations, and COVID-19 evaluations were obtained from electronic file records retrospectively. Symptomatology, diagnostic methods, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results, and radiological findings of computerized tomography scans, treatments of the patients who had COVID-19 were noted. Results: Fifty-two (6.2%) patients had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Between osteoporosis treatment groups, there were no significant differences in terms of COVID-19 prevalence, symptomatology, PCR results, radiological findings, treatments, and outcomes. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, there is no clear evidence that osteoporosis treatment affects the course of COVID-19. In our study, we could not find a relationship between the actual treatments used for osteoporosis, and the prevalence or course of COVID-19. So during the COVID-19 outbreak, it is more crucial to emphasize the importance of the treatment continuity than changing modality for osteoporosis. Considering the burden of osteoporosis in the older population, the continuation of osteoporosis treatment needs to be prioritized during the COVID-19 pandemic. © Copyright 2023 by the Academic Geriatrics Society / European Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology published by Galenos Publishing House.
ABSTRACT
Generating memory T cell responses besides humoral immune responses is essential when it comes to the efficacy of a vaccine. In this study, the presence of memory T cell responses after aluminum-adjuvanted inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in seronegative and seropositive elderly individuals were examined. CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cell proliferation and IFN-gamma production capacities were evaluated. Additionally, clinical frailty scale (CFS) and FRAIL scales of the individuals were scored. CD4+ memory T cell responses more prominent than CD8+ memory T cells. In seronegative individuals, 80% of them had memory CD4+ and IFN-gamma, whereas 50% of them had memory CD4+ and all of them had IFN-gamma responses. Additionally, 40% of seronegative patients and 50% of seropositive patients had memory CD8+ responses. To sum up, humoral immune responses are not associated with memory T cell responses, and in seronegative individuals, memory T cell responses can be detected.Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate long-term effects of COVID-19, and to determine the risk factors in long-COVID in a cohort of the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS)-TURCOVID multicenter registry. Method(s): Thirteen centers participated with 831 patients;504 patients were enrolled after exclusions. The study was designed in three-steps: (1) Phone questionnaire;(2) retrospective evaluation of the medical records;(3) face-to-face visit. Result(s): In the first step, 93.5% of the patients were hospitalized;61.7% had a history of pneumonia at the time of diagnosis. A total of 27.1% reported clinical symptoms at the end of the first year. Dyspnea (17.00%), fatigue (6.30%), and weakness (5.00%) were the most prevalent long-term symptoms. The incidence of long-term symptoms was increased by 2.91 fold (95% CI 1.04-8.13, P=0.041) in the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and by 1.84 fold (95% CI 1.10-3.10, P=0.021) in the presence of pneumonia at initial diagnosis, 3.92 fold (95% Cl 2.29-6.72, P=0.001) of dyspnea and 1.69 fold (95% Cl 1.02-2.80, P=0.040) fatigue persists in the early-post-treatment period and 2.88 fold (95% Cl 1.52-5.46, P=0.001) in the presence of emergency service admission in the post COVID period. In step 2, retrospective analysis of 231 patients revealed that 1.4% of the chest X-rays had not significantly improved at the end of the first year, while computed tomography (CT) scan detected fibrosis in 3.4%. In step 3, 138 (27.4%) patients admitted to face-to-face visit at the end of first year;at least one symptom persisted in 49.27% patients. The most common symptoms were dyspnea (27.60%), psychiatric symptoms (18.10%), and fatigue (17.40%). Thorax CT revealed fibrosis in 2.4% patients. Conclusion(s): COVID-19 symptoms can last for extended lengths of time, and severity of the disease as well as the presence of comorbidities might contribute to increased risk. Long-term clinical issues should be regularly evaluated after COVID-19. Copyright © 2022 Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine Produced by Wolters Kluwer Medknow.