ABSTRACT
As environmental factors are known to affect the timing of puberty, self-isolation during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic may affect the incidence of central precocious puberty (CPP). This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of CPP during the COVID-19 pandemic at a single center in the Osaka metropolitan area of Japan. We retrospectively analyzed the annual frequency of CPP occurrence before and after the first declaration of COVID-19 state of emergency in Japan at our hospital. We performed an interrupted time-series analysis to investigate the frequency of patients with CPP at our hospital from 2016 to 2021. There was a significant increase in the frequency of patients with CPP before and after the state of emergency declaration, both overall and among females. However, there was no significant increase in the number of males. There were no significant differences in the clinical, auxological, and endocrinological features between those diagnosed before and after the state of emergency. Overall, the frequency of CPP significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic at a single center in the Osaka metropolitan area of Japan.
ABSTRACT
Purpose : To explore associations between sensory impairment (vision and/or hearing) and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the adult 2020 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) population. Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2020 CHIS, the nation's largest state health survey with a sample representative of the population of California. The exposure of interest was having sensory impairment, defined as answering “Yes” to the question, “Are you blind or deaf, or do you have a severe vision or hearing problem?” The outcome of interest was whether a health professional suspected the respondent had COVID-19, assessed among those adults who had or thought they had COVID-19 and contacted a health professional. Logistic regression models were constructed to determine the odds of suspected COVID-19 by sensory impairment status, controlling for the following covariates: age, sex, race/ethnicity, self-reported general health status, current smoking habits, overweight/obese body mass index, and current health insurance status. All analyses were weighted according to the CHIS sampling design. Results : A total of 21,949 sampled participants were included, representing a weighted estimate of 29,684,882 individuals. The weighted prevalence of sensory impairment was 5.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.4-6.4%). Approximately 10.9% (95% CI: 10.3-11.6%) of all participants had or thought they had COVID-19, 4.9% (95% CI: 4.5-5.3%) contacted a health professional about COVID-19 concerns, and 1.7% (95% CI: 1.4-2.0%) were suspected of having COVID-19 by a health professional. Regression analyses were performed in a subgroup of 988 participants representing 1,431,690 individuals who had or thought they had COVID-19 and contacted a health professional. Those with sensory impairment had 2.12 times the unadjusted odds of suspected COVID-19 compared to those without sensory impairment (odds ratio [OR]: 2.12, 95% CI: 0.98-4.63). Those with sensory impairment had 2.51 times the adjusted odds of suspected COVID-19 compared to those without sensory impairment (adjusted OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.03-6.10). Conclusions : In the 2020 CHIS adult population, individuals with vision and/or hearing impairment had greater odds of having COVID-19 suspected by a health professional. Additional studies are necessary to triangulate these findings and further explore this possible increased risk for COVID-19 in this vulnerable population.