ABSTRACT
Background: The role of anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPLs) in the prognosis of COVID-19 patients is controversial. In order to prove the role of this factor, the necessary measures such as early initiation of anticoagulants should be started even in the early stages of the disease and in outpatients or the use of other drugs in addition to anticoagulants. We decided to investigate the role of these antibodies in ICU admission outcomes in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Methods: The case-control study was carried out in Isfahan, Iran, from March to September 2021. One hundred nine patients in the case group were selected, including patients admitted to the ICU with a COVID-19 diagnosis. The 140 patients in the control group were selected from hospitalized and outpatients with COVID-19 with PCR + and pulmonary involvement, similar to the case group without the need for ICU hospitalization. The anti B2GP1 (IgM, IgG) and anti-cardiolipin (IgM, IgG)) were compared in two groups. Results: The frequency percentage of patients in the abnormal group of anti-phospholipid antibodies was about 10% in total. No statistically significant difference in these aPLs in continued measures was observed between the two groups of patients admitted to the ICU and those outside the ICU. Also, in the logistics regression analysis, no significant association was observed. Conclusions: Therefore, the cause of coagulation in patients admitted to the ICU is not related to these aPLs. This means that aPLs could not be a good predictor of patient admission to the ICU.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There are reports that stress-related disorders are increasing during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are at higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders, which result in worsening of their disability. There are concerns about the mental health of MS patients during this pandemic. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and levels of fear about Corona in MS patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study on MS patients who were admitted to the MS clinics affiliated with Isfahan University of medical sciences from May to June 2020. Anxiety and depression were evaluated according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The Corona Fear Questionnaire developed by Ahorsu et al. was applied to evaluate the state of fear about COVID-19. Chi-square tests were used to compare depression and anxiety between different groups, Kruskal-Wallis was used for fear scores, Spearman correlation coefficient was also reported for correlations. RESULTS: 410 MS patients with a mean age of 38.6 years (±10.35) were enrolled in the study. Among those patients who answered the HADS questionnaire completely (n=399, n=388, for anxiety and depression subscales respectively) the prevalence of anxiety and depression were 31.2% (n=128) and 39.3% (n=161), respectively. There was no significant relationship between anxiety and depression with any of the following variables: sex, marital status, history of drug abuse, smoking, duration of taking psychiatric medication, being tested for COVID-19, being quarantined. Regarding fear about COVID-19, patients with depression or anxiety showed higher scores on the fear questionnaire (p-value=0.03, p-value=0.008 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anxiety and depression in MS patients was higher than previously reported. Fear about COVID-19 was correlated with anxiety and depression. Multicenter studies are required to develop specific recommendations for screening mental health problems in MS patients during COVID pandemic.