Examining Disparities in Current E-Cigarette Use among U.S. Adults before and after the WHO Declaration of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020.

This paper aims to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette use before and after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration and to delineate disparities in use across subpopulations. Data were derived from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (N = 3865) to conduct weighted multivariable logistic regression and marginal analyses. The overall prevalence of current e-cigarette use increased from 4.79% to 8.63% after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration. Furthermore, non-Hispanic Black people and Hispanic people had lower odds of current e-cigarette use than non-Hispanic White people, but no significant differences were observed between groups before the pandemic. Compared to heterosexual participants, sexual minority (SM) participants had higher odds of current e-cigarette use after the declaration, with insignificant differences before. People who had cardiovascular disease conditions, relative to those without, had higher odds of current e-cigarette use after the declaration, but no group differences were found before the declaration. The marginal analyses showed that before and after the pandemic declaration, SM individuals had a significantly higher probability of using e-cigarettes compared to heterosexual individuals. These findings suggest the importance of adopting a subpopulation approach to understand and develop initiatives to address substance use, such as e-cigarettes, during pandemics and other public health emergencies.

The prevalence of metabolic conditions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with health and sociodemographic factors.

BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of evidence on the relationship between COVID-19 and metabolic conditions among the general U.S. population. We examined the prevalence and association of metabolic conditions with health and sociodemographic factors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2019 (N = 5,359) and 2020 (N = 3,830) Health Information National Trends Surveys on adults to compare observations before (2019) and during (2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted weighted descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses to assess the study objective. RESULTS: During the pandemic, compared to pre-pandemic, the prevalence of diabetes (18.10% vs. 17.28%) has increased, while the prevalence of hypertension (36.38% vs. 36.36%) and obesity (34.68% vs. 34.18%) has remained similar. In general, the prevalence of metabolic conditions was higher during the pandemic (56.09%) compared to pre-pandemic (54.96%). Compared to never smokers, former smokers had higher odds of metabolic conditions (AOR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.87 and AOR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.10, 2.25) before and during the pandemic, respectively. People with mild anxiety/depression symptoms (before: AOR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.06, 2.19 and during: AOR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.01, 2.38) had higher odds of metabolic conditions relative to those with no anxiety/depression symptoms. CONCLUSION: This study found increased odds of metabolic conditions among certain subgroups of US adults during the pandemic. We recommend further studies and proper allocation of public health resources to address these conditions.

All-cause and in-hospital mortality after aspirin use in patients hospitalized with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: With the results of the largest randomized controlled trial (RECOVERY) and the most extensive retrospective cohort study on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recently published, we performed a meta-analysis on the association of aspirin with mortality of COVID-19. We aimed to investigate the role of aspirin in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases for studies from 1 January 2020 until 20 July 2022, that compared aspirin versus non-aspirin use in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We excluded case reports, review articles and studies on non-hospitalized COVID-19 infections. We used the inverse variance method and random effects model to pool the individual studies. Results: Ten observational studies and one randomized controlled trial met the criteria for inclusion. There were 136 695 total patients, of which 27 168 were in the aspirin group and 109 527 were in the non-aspirin group. Aspirin use was associated with a 14% decrease in all-cause mortality compared with non-aspirin use in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 [relative risk (RR) 0.86, confidence interval (95% CI) 0.76-0.97; P = 0.002; I 2 =64%]. Among subgroups of studies reporting in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 hospitalizations, aspirin use was associated with a 16% decrease in in-hospital mortality compared with non-aspirin use (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.71-0.99; P = 0.007; I 2 =64%). Conclusion: Our study shows that aspirin decreases in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Further studies are needed to assess which COVID-19 patient populations benefit most, such as patients on aspirin for primary versus secondary prevention of atherosclerotic disease. In addition, significant bleeding also needs to be considered when assessing the risk-benefit of aspirin use.

COVID-19 Positive Status is Associated with Increased In-hospital Mortality in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may have concomitant positive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to compare the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients primarily hospitalized for AMI with or without concomitant COVID-19 positive status. Using the random-effects model, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published articles from December 1, 2019, to April 1, 2022. There were eight studies with 10,128 patients, including 612 patients with COVID and 9516 patients without COVID. A total of 261 patients (42.64%) with COVID-19 positive and 612 patients (6.43%) with negative COVID-19 status died in the hospital. Pooled data showed that patients with a primary diagnosis of AMI with COVID-19 infection had more than five times increased risk of in-hospital mortality compared to patients without COVID-19 (OR: 5.06, 95% CI: 3.61, 7.09; I2 = 35%, P < 0.001). However, pooled data from five studies with adjustment of baseline differences in patient demographics and characteristics, comorbidities, and in-hospital pharmacology revealed more than three times increased risk of in-hospital mortality compared to patients who had primary AMI without COVID-19 infection (aOR: 3.47, 95% CI: 2.21, 5.45; I2 = 0%, P < 0.001). In subgroup analysis, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) had lower in-hospital mortality (OR 4.23, 95% CI: 3.31, 5.40; I2 = 0%, P < 0.001) compared to non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) (OR 9.97, 95% CI: 5.71, 17.41; I2 = 0%, P < 0.001) (p-value = 0.006). Our study shows that COVID-19 infection is associated with increased in-hospital mortality in patients with index hospitalization for AMI.

Correction: Perceptions of risk for COVID-19 among individuals with chronic diseases and stakeholders in Central Appalachia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1057/s41599-021-00906-7.].

Perceptions of risk for COVID-19 among individuals with chronic diseases and stakeholders in Central Appalachia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving and is a serious public health threat worldwide. Timely and effective control of the pandemic is highly dependent on preventive approaches. Perception of risk is a major determinant of health behavior. The current study explores the association between actual risk and perceived risk for one’s self, family/friends and friends, and community. A questionnaire was administered to participants in Central Appalachia (n = 102). The actual risk was based on the number of chronic conditions of the following conditions: hypertension, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Participants were also queried about their perception of risk for COVID-19. Generalized Linear Models were used to independently evaluate the likelihood of perceived risk for one’s: self, family/friends, and community, based on actual risk. Actual risk for COVID-19 was significantly associated with higher likelihood of higher perception of risk for one’s self (b = 0.24;p = 0.04), but not with one’s family/friends (b = 0.05;p = 0.68), or one’s community (b = 0.14;p = 0.16). No health insurance was negatively associated with perception of risk for self (b = −0.59;p = 0.04) and family/friends (b = −0.92;p < 0.001). Male gender (b = −0.47;p = 0.01) was also negatively associated with perception of risk for family/friends. In conclusion, individuals’ actual risk for COVID-19 is associated with their own perception of risk. This indicates that one’s perception of risk for COVID-19 is greater for their own health compared to their family/friends or the community. Therefore, monitoring and following up with chronic disease patients and addressing their lack of awareness of risk to others is needed to prevent and curtail the spread of COVID-19.