ABSTRACT
Battling the COVID-19 pandemic still is the main agenda of many countries in the world today. This study aims to describe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19-related deaths in Malaysia in 2020. Data was obtained from the daily press conference on the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia. Only information on daily deaths were collected for the purpose of this study. A total of 471 COVID-19 deaths reported in Malaysia in 2020. Number of deaths reported for the age categories < 65 years old and ≥ 65 years old were almost equal. Majority of deaths were reported among male (66.2%), Malaysian (82.8%), from the state of Sabah (56.3%) and with comorbidities (75.4%). Commonly reported comorbidities were hypertension (53.1%), diabetes mellitus (37.6%) and heart disease (17.4%). Gout was more prevalent and attributed to significant rate of mortality in individuals ≥ 65 years old (6.1%;p = 0.011), whereas obesity (5.8%;p = 0.003) and asthma (4.5%;p = 0.040) were more prevalent and attributed to significant rate of mortality in individuals < 65 years old. Heart disease was more prevalent among males (n = 64, 20.5%;p = 0.013) and obesity was more prevalent among women (n = 11, 6.9%;p = 0.003). Furthermore, presence of comorbidities was significantly higher in Malaysians (p < 0.001) with two and more comorbidities (p = 0.007). Early detection of risk factors for critical conditions is urgently required to provide adequate supportive treatment.
ABSTRACT
Alterations in the three chemosensory modalities-smell, taste, and chemesthesis-have been implicated in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet emerging data suggest a wide geographic and ethnic variation in the prevalence of these symptoms. Studies on chemosensory disorders in COVID-19 have predominantly focused on Caucasian populations whereas Asians remain understudied. We conducted a nationwide, multicentre cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire on a cohort of RT-PCR-confirmed adult COVID-19 patients in Malaysia between 6 June and 30 November 2020. The aim of our study was to investigate their presenting symptoms and assess their chemosensory function using self-ratings of perceived smell, taste, chemesthesis, and nasal blockage. In this cohort of 498 patients, 41.4% reported smell and/or taste loss when diagnosed with COVID-19, which was the commonest symptom. Blocked nose, loss of appetite, and gastrointestinal disturbances were independent predictors of smell and/or taste loss on multivariate analysis. Self-ratings of chemosensory function revealed a reduction in smell, taste, and chemesthesis across the entire cohort of patients that was more profound among those reporting smell and/or taste loss as their presenting symptom. Perceived nasal obstruction accounted for only a small proportion of changes in smell and taste, but not for chemesthesis, supporting viral disruption of sensorineural mechanisms as the dominant aetiology of chemosensory dysfunction. Our study suggests that chemosensory dysfunction in COVID-19 is more widespread than previously reported among Asians and may be related to the infectivity of viral strains.Study Registration: NMRR-20-934-54803 and NCT04390165.