Factors associated with anxiety and depression among patients with Covid-19.

BACKGROUND: The 2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused a global distress. However, its psychological impact on patients is unclear. We aim to determine the mental health status and explore related factors of anxiety and depression among patients with (COVID-19). METHODS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: This is a cross-sectional descriptive survey conducted among COVID-19 patients at the Mohammed VI University Hospital Centre in Marrakech over a period of four months. We assessed symptoms of depression and anxiety using the Arabic version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) on admission. The significance threshold used for any data comparison test was the value of p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 103 participants were included. The average age was 44, 17 ± 17, 19 years. About 54,4% of the subjects were male. Of the 103 participants, 36.89% and 23.30% patients with COVID-19 had symptoms of anxiety or depression; respectively. The mean score of anxiety subscale and depression subscale for all patients was 6.45 ± 4.29 and 5.38 ± 4.47, respectively. The bivariate analysis showed that age (p=0, 0004; p=0, 0002), oxygen saturation level (p=0, 0003; p=0, 0059), hospital stay (p <0, 0001; p <0, 0001) and family infection with SARS-CoV-2 (p=0, 0094; p=0, 0023) were associated with anxiety and depression respectively for COVID-19 patients. Moreover, gender (p=0, 0119) was associated with depression. CONCLUSION: There is an increasing level of anxiety and depression in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Mental concern and appropriate intervention remain an important part of clinical care for those who are at risk.

Unusual association of COVID-19, pulmonary tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus, having progressed favorably under treatment with chloroquine and rifampin.

Infection with the new coronavirus has been declared an international health emergency. Its curative treatment is unknown and is the subject of several clinical trials. In addition, the concomitant association of COVID-19 with tuberculosis and the human immunodeficiency virus, hitherto never described, is potentially fatal. We report the illustrative case of a 32-year-old patient who presented this trifecta of infections and who did well under treatment with chloroquine and anti-mycobacterial drugs. This patient arrived at the ER with respiratory discomfort that had been evolving over a month with symptoms of flu and deterioration of her general condition. A chest CT scan revealed an aspect of lung miliary tuberculosis with isolation of Koch's bacilli in the sputum. A polymerization chain reaction (PCR) was positive for COVID-19 on a nasopharyngeal swab. HIV serology was positive. The course was marked by a spectacular clinical improvement and two negative COVID-19 PCR controls at the end of treatment (at days 9 and 10). Anti-tubercular drugs (especially, rifampin) are powerful enzyme inducers that can reduce the effectiveness of chloroquine in our patient. This therapeutic success may be linked to the effect of anti-tubercular drugs against SARS ncov-2, especially rifampin, inhibiting the formation of messenger RNAs of SARS ncov-2 or to the synergistic effect of chloroquine and rifampin. Researchers should explore the effect of these drugs on SARS ncov-2.