ABSTRACT
The aim of our study was to investigate the incidence of and risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial-pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). A total of 3,866 patients with NTM-PD were retrospectively identified from a single center. Compared to the general population of Korea, patients with NTM-PD had a substantially increased age-standardized incidence of COVID-19 from January 2020 to February 2021 (2.1% vs. 0.2%). The odds of being infected with COVID-19 was particularly higher in patients who received treatment for NTM-PD than in those who did not receive treatment for NTM-PD (adjusted odd ratio = 1.99, 95% confidence interval = 1.09-3.64, P = 0.026). Patients with NTM-PD might be regarded as a high-risk group for COVID-19 and may need a more proactive preventive strategy for COVID-19 and other pandemics in the future.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Lung Diseases , Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Incidence , Lung Diseases/epidemiology , Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous/epidemiology , Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous/microbiology , Nontuberculous Mycobacteria , Republic of Korea/epidemiology , Retrospective StudiesSubject(s)
COVID-19 , Pityriasis Rosea , 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273 , COVID-19 Vaccines , Humans , Pityriasis Rosea/diagnosis , SARS-CoV-2 , VaccinationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has presented unique dermatologic challenges due to respiratory protective equipment (RPE)-related skin conditions. OBJECTIVE: To objectively evaluate the effects of RPE including medical masks and respirators on the skin barrier by measuring various physiological properties of the skin. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed. Twenty healthy healthcare workers were included in this study. Skin parameters including skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), erythema, sebum secretion, pH, and skin temperature were measured in the RPE-covered and RPE-uncovered areas of the face 4 and 8 hours after wearing RPE and 14 hours after not wearing RPE. RESULTS: Skin hydration, TEWL, erythema, pH, and skin temperature increased in the RPE-covered areas after wearing RPE for 4 and 8 hours. By contrast, in the RPE-uncovered areas, skin hydration decreased and TEWL, erythema, and pH showed minimal changes over time. Based on the repeated-measure analysis, the changes in skin physiological properties over time were significantly different between RPE-covered and RPE-uncovered areas. CONCLUSION: We observed that skin physiological characteristics change with the prolonged use of RPE such as medical masks and respirators. These changes may lead to various adverse skin reactions after long-term use.