Associated effects of clinical characteristics, risk factors, and comorbidity on disease severity and mortality among patients with COVID-19 in Sulaimani City/ Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The effects of clinical symptoms, laboratory indicators, and comorbidity status of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients on the severity of disease and the risk of death were investigated. Questionnaires and electronic medical records of 371 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were used for data collection (demographics, clinical manifestation, comorbidities, laboratory data). Association among categorical variables was determined using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (P-value ≤0.05). Median age of study population (249 males, 122 females) was 65 years. Roc curves analysis found that age ≥64 years and age ≥67 years are significant cut-offs identifying patients with more severe disease and mortality at 30 days. CRP values at cut-off ≥80.7 and ≥95.8 significantly identify patients with more severe disease and mortality. Patients with more severe disease and risk of death were significantly identified with platelet value at the cut-off ≤160,000, hemoglobin value at the cut-off ≤11.7, D-Dimer values ≥1383 and ≥1270, and with values of neutrophil granulocytes (≥8.2 and ≤2) and lymphocytes (≤2 and ≤2.4). Detailed clinical investigation suggests granulocytes together with lymphopenia may be a potential indicator for diagnosis. Older age, several comorbidities (cancer, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension) and more laboratory abnormalities (CRP, D-Dimer, platelets, hemoglobin) were associated with development of more severity and mortality among COVID-19 patients.

Epidemiological Study of Pediculosis among Primary School Children in Sulaimani Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Background: Pediculosis is a common parasitic public health issue. Many socio-demographic and economic factors affect the pattern and prevalence of pediculosis. It is widely spread among pupils, particularly those in elementary schools. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Pediculus capitis infestation and its related risk factors in primary school children in Sulaimani Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, overall, 2064 primary school children (aged 5-14 years) during the period from October 2019 to February 2020 were randomly examined for the presence of any stage of Pediculosis capitis in both urban and suburban areas. The schools were selected by multistage sampling methods. A questionnaire was sent to the parents to get consent and fill in for every single pupil. The results were computed using the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall prevalence of head lice infestation was (9.16%). The study found a significant association of Pediculosis capitis infestation with gender, parents' education level, mother's employment, number of siblings, and previous infestation. The older age of children (≥12 years old) and the higher-grade pupils (4th to 6th class) were more infested. Conclusion: Head lice remain a health problem for school children. It needs collaboration of many sectors for decreasing and early detection and treatment in both urban and suburban areas since they have a close rate of infestation.

Health related factors contributing to COVID-19 fatality rates in various communities across the world.

INTRODUCTION: Factors such as comorbidity, age and gender distribution are mostly related to hospitalization, numbers requiring intensive care and case fatality rate. In this review, the fatality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in different population health background according to comorbidity, age, gender distribution, and laboratory prognosis for COVID-19. METHODOLOGY: The current review was based on the data from copious studies that had homogeneity in relation to the review's objectives. It included the newest studies from December 2019 to September 2020. The epidemiological reasons for the high morbidity and mortality rates among COVID-19 patients were analyzed in different countries. RESULTS: The highest comorbidity prevalence of COVID-19 was recorded in the United States of America (USA) (93.9%) and Italy (68%). Among population health background factors, comorbidity was the most common cause of COVID-19 fatality in the USA. The mean age of the most COVID-19 fatalities was more than 60 years old. Most of the studies show that 60% of COVID-19 patients were male. The fatality rates for the age group of 80-89 years-old in Korea, China, and Italy were 8.7 %, 14.7 %, and 18.8 % respectively. Lymphocytopenia has been observed in 91% of COVID-19 death cases. C - reactive protein had increased in 40-60% of COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Many factors contribute to COVID-19 severity and fatality rates. Comorbidity, age, and gender were the main reasons for the Case Fatality Rate. This review recommends to follow preventive measures for overcoming the challenges faced during this emerging pandemic disease.