Racial Disparities in Patients With COVID-19 Infection: A National Inpatient Sample Analysis.

Introduction Evidence suggests the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic highlighted well-known healthcare disparities. This study investigated racial disparities in patients with COVID-19-related hospitalizations utilizing the US (United States) National Inpatient Sample (NIS). Methodology This was a retrospective study conducted utilizing the NIS 2020 database. The NIS was searched for hospitalization of adult patients with COVID-19 infection as a principal diagnosis using ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision) codes. We divided the NIS into four major racial/ethnic groups: White, Black, Hispanic, and others. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality, and the secondary outcomes were the mean length of stay, mean total hospital charges, development of sepsis, septic shock, use of vasopressors, acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney failure, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular accident, and need for mechanical ventilation. Results Compared to White patients, Hispanic patients had higher adjusted inpatient mortality odds (aOR [adjusted odds ratio]: 1.25, 95% CI 1.19-1.33, p<0.001); however, Black patients had similar adjusted mortality odds (aOR: 0.96, 95% CI 0.91-1.01, p=0.212). Black patients and Hispanic patients had a higher mean length of stay (8.01 vs 7.13 days, p<0.001 and 7.67 vs 7.13 days, p<0.001, respectively), adjusted odds of cardiac arrest (aOR: 1.53, 95% CI 1.37-1.71, p<0.001 and aOR: 1.73, 95% CI 1.54-1.94, p<0.001), septic shock (aOR: 1.23, 95% CI 1.13-1.33, p<0.001 and aOR: 1.88, 95% CI 1.73-2.04, p<0.001), and vasopressor use (aOR: 1.32, 95% CI 1.14 - 1.53, p<0.001 and aOR: 1.87, 95% CI 1.62 - 2.16, p<0.001). Conclusion Our study showed that Black and Hispanic patients are at higher risk of adverse outcomes compared to White patients admitted with COVID-19 infection.

Role of IgG against N-protein of SARS-CoV2 in COVID19 clinical outcomes.

The Nucleocapsid Protein (N Protein) of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) is located in the viral core. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) targeting N protein is detectable in the serum of infected patients. The effect of high titers of IgG against N-protein on clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV2 disease has not been described. We studied 400 RT-PCR confirmed SARS-CoV2 patients to determine independent factors associated with poor outcomes, including Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) admission, prolonged MICU stay and hospital admissions, and in-hospital mortality. We also measured serum IgG against the N protein and correlated its concentrations with clinical outcomes. We found that several factors, including Charlson comorbidity Index (CCI), high levels of IL6, and presentation with dyspnea were associated with poor clinical outcomes. It was shown that higher CCI and higher IL6 levels were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Anti-N protein IgG was detected in the serum of 55 (55%) patients at the time of admission. A high concentration of antibodies, defined as signal to cut off ratio (S/Co) > 1.5 (75 percentile of all measurements), was found in 25 (25%) patients. The multivariable logistic regression models showed that between being an African American, higher CCI, lymphocyte counts, and S/Co ratio > 1.5, only S/Co ratio were independently associated with MICU admission and longer length of stay in hospital. This study recommends that titers of IgG targeting N-protein of SARS-CoV2 at admission is a prognostic factor for the clinical course of disease and should be measured in all patients with SARS-CoV2 infection.

Lack of tocilizumab effect on mortality in COVID19 patients.

Off-label tocilizumab use in COVID-19 patients reflects concern for cytokine release syndrome. Comparison of matched COVID-19 pneumonia patients found elevated IL-6 levels correlated with mortality that did not change with tocilizumab administration. Correlating mortality with increased IL-6 doesn't imply causality however lack of improvement by tocilizumab requires further clinical trial alterations.

COVID-19: Risk of alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorders.

Alcohol abuse along with difficulties in communication has led to increased morbidity and mortality among patients with psychiatric disorders. This issue has a higher importance during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Standard recommendations to prevent the spread of infection such as self-quarantine, hand washing, covering mouth and nose while coughing may be difficult to enforce in patients with mental illnesses. There is a controversy in discharge and management of patients with history of alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorders when they come to the Emergency Departments (ED) with mild presentation of COVID-19. We discussed a 39 years old patient known case of paranoid schizophrenia who came to the ED with mild fever, cough and headache. She was soon discharged from the ED after having a normal chest radiograph. She was recommended to be in self-quarantine for at least 14 days. Her COVID-19 condition deteriorated rapidly in a week, and she was brought back to the ED after she had an altercation with her friends while drinking. Patients with psychiatric disorders especially schizophrenia or those who have been diagnosed with alcohol abuse may have a higher risk for progression of their mild COVID-19 to a severe form. On the other hand, they have a role in the spread of COVID-19 in the community due to lower compliance with preventive measures. A higher rate of alcohol abuse in psychiatric patients and their lower compliance to self-quarantine calls for a different approach when they come to the ED with COVID-19 presentations.

COVID-19 Clinical Characteristics, and Sex-Specific Risk of Mortality: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The rapidly evolving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. It was first detected in the Wuhan city of China and has spread globally resulting in a substantial health and economic crisis in many countries. Observational studies have partially identified different aspects of this disease. There have been no published systematic reviews that combine clinical, laboratory, epidemiologic, and mortality findings. Also, the effect of gender on the outcomes of COVID-19 has not been well-defined. Methods: We reviewed the scientific literature published from January 1, 2019 to May 29, 2020. Statistical analyses were performed with STATA (version 14, IC; Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA). The pooled frequency with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was assessed using random effect model. P < 0.05 was considered a statistically significant publication bias. Results: Out of 1,223 studies, 34 satisfied the inclusion criteria. A total of 5,057 patients with a mean age of 49 years were evaluated. Fever (83.0%, CI 77.5-87.6) and cough (65.2%, CI 58.6-71.2) were the most common symptoms. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (18.5%, CI 12.7-24.4) and Cardiovascular disease (14.9%, CI 6.0-23.8). Among the laboratory abnormalities, elevated C-Reactive Protein (CRP) (72.0%, CI 54.3-84.6) and lymphopenia (50.1%, CI 38.0-62.4) were the most common. Bilateral ground-glass opacities (66.0%, CI 51.1-78.0) was the most common CT scan presentation. The pooled mortality rate was 6.6%, with males having significantly higher mortality compared to females (OR 3.4; 95% CI 1.2-9.1, P = 0.01). Conclusion: COVID-19 has caused a significant number of hospitalization and mortality worldwide. Mortality associated with COVID-19 was higher in our study compared to the previous reports from China. The mortality was significantly higher among the hospitalized male group. Further studies are required to evaluate the effect of different variables resulting in sex disparity in COVID-19 mortality.

Lack of Tocilizumab effect on mortality in COVID19 patients (preprint)

Off-label tocilizumab use in COVID-19 patients reflects concern for cytokine release syndrome. Comparison of matched COVID-19 pneumonia patients found elevated IL-6 levels correlated with mortality that did not change with tocilizumab administration. Correlating mortality with increased IL-6 doesn’t imply causality however lack of improvement by tocilizumab requires clinical trial alterations.