ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on allergic diseases is not certain, as people's living habits and the environment have been affected by the pandemic. The present study described the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the allergen sensitization rate in patients with allergic diseases in central China. The results provide reliable epidemiological data for the prevention and control of allergic diseases during the COVID-19 epidemic. METHODS: Data were collected from a total of 6,915 patients with symptoms of allergic diseases who visited the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in China for allergen testing from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021. Patients were divided into a children group (<14 years old), youth group (15â¼44 years old), middle-aged group (45â¼59 years old), and elderly group (>60 years old). Immunoblotting was used to detect 20 serum allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) antibodies in patient serum samples. We compared the positive rates of various allergens in different age and sex groups before and during the COVID-19 epidemic, and the prevalence data of sIgE sensitization were analysed. RESULTS: Among the 6,915 patients with symptoms of allergic diseases, 2,838 (41.04%) patients were positive for at least one of the allergens. The top three positive rates of inhaled allergens were Dermatophagoides farinae (1,764 cases, 25.51%), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (1,616 cases, 23.37%), and house dust (645 cases, 9.33%). The top three positive rates of food allergens were eggs (686 cases, 9.92%), milk (509 cases, 7.36%), and crabs (192 cases, 2.78%). The total positive rate of allergens was higher in men (46.99%) than in women (37.30%). Compared to 2 years before the COVID-19 epidemic, the rate of sensitization to indoor inhalant allergens increased, but outdoor inhalant allergens showed no significant change. The positive rates of milk and eggs peaked during the outbreak of COVID-19 (2020) then declined in 2021. The total positive rate of allergens was higher in males than females before and during the COVID-19 epidemic, but more allergens were different between males and females during the pandemic. Compared to middle-aged and older adults, the children and youth groups were more susceptible to allergic diseases, and they exhibited an increasing positive rate for most common allergens, especially indoor inhalant allergens, during the COVID-19 epidemic than before the pandemic. CONCLUSION: D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae are the most common allergens in South China. Under the background of normalization of epidemic prevention, indoor inhaled allergens should be first in the prevention and control of allergic diseases, and a combination of various indoor cleaning measures should be used to improve the efficiency of interventions.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In December 2019, Wuhan, China, experienced an outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). The number of cases has increased rapidly, but information on the clinical characteristics remains limited. OBJECTIVES: This paper describes the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19. Early detection and identification of critically ill patients is necessary to facilitate scientific classification and treatment. STUDY DESIGN: This study included a retrospective, single-center case series of 99 consecutively hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 at Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center in Chengdu, China, from January 16 to February 20, 2020. The final date of follow-up was February 23, 2020. We collected and analyzed epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, and treatment data. We compared outcomes of critically ill patients and noncritically ill patients. RESULTS: Of the 99 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the median age was 49 years (minimum, 3 months; maximum, 87 years) and 51 (52 %) were men; 42 (42 %) had traveled to or lived in Wuhan and 48 (49 %) had come into close contact with patients with new coronavirus pneumonia; 41 (41 %) patients had underlying disease. Common symptoms included fever (85 [86 %]), dry cough (84 [85 %]), and fatigue (72 [73 %]). We analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients. We expressed the measurement data as mean⯱â¯standard deviation. We collected data for age (49.39⯱â¯18.45 years), number of hospital days (12.32⯱â¯6.70 days), and laboratory indicators. We compared critically ill and noncritically ill patients: p-values for age, C-reactive protein, high-sensitivity troponin T, prothrombin time, fibrin degradation products, D-Dimer, and CD4+ count were pâ¯<â¯0.001; and p-values for hospital days, white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, creatine kinase isoenzyme, myoglobin, N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide, and CD8+ count were pâ¯<â¯0.05. CONCLUSIONS: We collected data from a single-center case series of 32 hospitalized patients who were critically ill with confirmed COVID-19 in Chengdu, China, and compared data with 67 noncritically ill patients. Elderly patients had chronic underlying diseases, notably cardiovascular disease. Higher C-reactive protein levels, higher levels of myocardial damage, and higher brain natriuretic peptide levels; lower white blood cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes; and lower CD4 and CD8 counts could be used for early detection and identification of critically ill patients, and dynamic Data observation was more important than at a single moment.