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Background: Respiratory viruses play important roles in respiratory tract infections;they are the major cause of diseases such as the common cold, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, etc., in humans that circulate more often in the cold seasons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many strict public health measures, such as hand hygiene, the use of face masks, social distancing, and quarantines, were implemented worldwide to control the pandemic. Besides controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, these introduced measures might change the spread of other common respiratory viruses. Moreover, with COVID-19 vaccination and reducing public health protocols, the circulation of other respiratory viruses probably increases in the community. Objective(s): This study aims to explore changes in the circulation pattern of common respiratory viruses during the COVID-19 pan-demic. Method(s): In the present study, we evaluated the circulation of seven common respiratory viruses (influenza viruses A and B, rhi-novirus, and seasonal human Coronaviruses (229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1) and their co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 in suspected cases of COVID-19 in two time periods before and after COVID-19 vaccination. Clinical nasopharyngeal swabs of 400 suspected cases of COVID-19 were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and seven common respiratory viruses by reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction. Result(s): Our results showed common respiratory viruses were detected only in 10% and 8% of SARS-CoV-2-positive samples before and after vaccination, respectively, in which there were not any significant differences between them (P-value = 0.14). Moreover, common viral respiratory infections were found only in 12% and 32% of SARS-CoV-2-negative specimens before and after vaccination, respectively, in which there was a significant difference between them (P-value = 0.041). Conclusion(s): Our data showed a low rate of co-infection of other respiratory viruses with SARS-CoV-2 at both durations, before and after COVID-19 vaccination. Moreover, the circulation of common respiratory viruses before the COVID-19 vaccination was lower, probably due to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI), while virus activity (especially influenza virus A) was significantly in-creased after COVID-19 vaccination with reducing strict public health measures.Copyright © 2023, Author(s).
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Background: COVID-19 has become a serious health problem worldwide. Objective(s): The current study investigated the prognostic factors associated with demographical parameters, clinical and vital signs, and laboratory results for predicting severity and mortality in patients infected with COVID-19. Method(s): This retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 372 COVID-19-positive patients hospitalized at the Khatam al-Anbiya Hospital, Shoushtar, Iran, from Sep 2020 to Sep 2021. The association of demographic parameters, clinical and vital signs, and laboratory results with severity and patients' outcomes (survival/mortality) was studied. The patients were divided into the non-severe group (n = 275) and the severe group (n = 97). COVID-19 disease severity was determined based on the severity of pulmonary involvement using CT chest images. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software for Windows (version 18). Logistic regression analysis was employed using the Forward LR method to predict COVID-19 severity and mortality. Result(s): The rates of mortality and the severe form of the disease were 87.1% (n = 324) and 12.9% (n = 48), respectively. A prognostic value was observed in predicting COVID-19 severity and mortality for some clinical and vital signs (diabetes (P < 0.001, P = 0.019), hypertension (P = 0.024, P = 0.012), pulmonary diseases (P = 0.038, P < 0.001), and anosmia (P = 0.043, P = 0.044) and paraclinical parameters (FBS (P = 0.014, P = 0.045), BUN (P = 0.045, 0.001), Cr (P = 0.027, P = 0.047), Neut (P = 0.002, P = 0.005), and SpO2 (P = 0.014, P = 0.001)). Cardiovascular disorders (P = 0.037), fever (P = 0.008), and dyspnea (P = 0.020) were also effective at predicting disease-related mortality. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that diabetes disease, the place of residence, PCO2, and BUN with R2 = 0.18, and age, pulmonary diseases, and BUN with R2 = 0.21 were involved in predicting the severity and mortality, respectively. Conclusion(s): It seems that in addition to the BUN, diabetes and pulmonary diseases play a more significant role in predicting the severity and mortality due to COVID-19, respectively.Copyright © 2023, Author(s).
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Background: In recent months, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global health challenge. Nutrition is a determining factor for health. Objectives: In the present research, we assessed and compared dietary food groups and nutrient supplements intake of diabetic, hypertensive, and heart disease patients with clinical symptoms of COVID-19 and asymptomatic controls. Methods: This retrospective case-control research was conducted on 98 patients with diabetes, hypertension, and/or heart disease, of whom 37 cases were COVID-19 positive with clinical symptoms. Dietary intakes of participants were recorded using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), which was designed and validated for the Iranian population. Results: We found that 54% of all subjects had consumed nutritional supplements in the last six months, and there was no significant difference in the type of nutritional supplements between cases and controls. There was no significant difference in the median intake of food groups in the last year in patients with metabolic syndrome and clinical symptoms of COVID-19 compared to controls. The CRUD odds ratio (OR) showed that adequate consumption of any food group was not associated with the occurrence of COVID-19. Conclusions: Although dietary intake and nutritional supplements are effective in preventing clinical symptoms of COVID-19, up to now, adequate data are available for recommending these supplements above the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for the prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19.
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In recent months, the greatest health challenge worldwide has been the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. During pregnancy, women are especially vulnerable perhaps in part because of fluctuations in levels of hormones that are involved in the immune response, and therefore, they need to take special preventive measures. In addition to measures to avoid the spread of the virus, such as handwashing, masks, and social distancing, it is important to ensure that food intakes are healthy, adequate, and high in both nutritional quality and food safety. Supportive nutrition through the provision of food baskets adequate in energy, protein, calcium, iron, folic acid, choline, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D at levels sufficient for pregnancy is likely to be needed for many pregnant women in low-income families or families where spouses, jobs, and income have been lost because of COVID-19.
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Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that puts strain on health-care systems. Obesity is considered as a risk factor for the severity of infection. Hypotheses also suggested some nutritional supplements may be useful in COVID-19. This paper aims to assess the role of body mass index (BMI) and nutritional supplements on the severity of COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: This research was conducted on 603 participants (in five groups including: exposure to virus and healthy, COVID-19 positive patients with severity of mild, moderate, severe and death from COVID-19), in age 18 to 65 years. Demographic data and history of nutritional supplements were asked. Anthropometric measurements were measured in a healthy group and in a patient. They were collected by referring to patients' medical records. Findings: The mean of BMI in groups with severity symptoms of moderate (27.57 kg/m2), severe (29.70 kg/m2) and death persons (28.13 kg/m2), was significantly higher than healthy (26.70 kg/m2) and mild symptoms (26.57 kg/m2) groups (p = 0.001). The logistic regression shown, the fourth quartile of BMI was significantly associated with occurrence of COVID19, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI): [OR: 1.81, (95% CI: 1.13– 2.89), p-for trend = 0.55]. There was no significant difference in the percentage of vitamin C, D3, Zinc, Iron and multivitamin supplements intake, between groups, in the past six months (p = 0.11). Originality/value: This study indicated the role of higher BMI in the occurrence and severity of COVID-19. Researches are not enough to recommend consumption of nutritional supplements for the prevention of COVID-19. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.