Plos One
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Observational Study
Predictors of severe or lethal COVID-19, including Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers, in a sample of infected Italian citizens.
This retrospective case-control study was aimed at identifying potential independent predictors of severe/lethal COVID-19, including the treatment with Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and/or Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs). ⋯ No association was found between COVID-19 severity and treatment with ARBs and/or ACEi, supporting the recommendation to continue medication for all patients unless otherwise advised by their physicians.
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Meta Analysis
Reduction in total leukocytes in malaria patients compared to febrile controls: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Leukocyte alterations are a common hematological alteration among malaria patients. ⋯ This systematic review demonstrated that the total leukocyte count was affected by malarial infection at baseline despite the heterogeneity of the included studies. Future work must aim to understand the treatment-related total leukocyte reduction during follow-up or post-treatment outcomes in malaria-endemic settings.
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Multicenter Study
Development and validation a nomogram for predicting the risk of severe COVID-19: A multi-center study in Sichuan, China.
Since December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan and spread across the globe. The objective of this study is to build and validate a practical nomogram for estimating the risk of severe COVID-19. ⋯ We established an early warning model incorporating clinical characteristics that could be quickly obtained on admission. This model can be used to help predict severe COVID-19 and identify patients at risk of developing severe disease.
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Estimating the risk of pre-existing comorbidities on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality may promote the importance of targeting populations at risk to improve survival. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the association of pre-existing comorbidities with COVID-19 mortality. ⋯ Patients with COVID-19 with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease and cancer have a greater risk of mortality compared to patients with COVID-19 without these comorbidities. Tailored infection prevention and treatment strategies targeting this high-risk population might improve survival.
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Food insecurity (FIS) is an important public health issue associated with cardiovascular risk. Given the association of FIS with diets of poorer nutritional quality and higher salt intake as well as chronic stress, numerous studies have explored the link between FIS and hypertension. However, no systematic review or meta-analysis has yet to integrate or analyze the existing literature. ⋯ In this systematic review and meta-analysis, an association was found between adult FIS and self-reported hypertension, but not with hypertension determined by blood pressure measurement or chart review. Further, while there is evidence of an association between FIS and hypertension among pediatric subjects, the limited number of studies precluded a deeper analysis of this association. These data highlight the need for more rigorous and longitudinal investigations of the relationship between FIS and hypertension in adult and pediatric populations.