Background: This report aims to observe a clinical association between obesity, and COVID-19 symptoms and post infection symptoms. Along with the importance of supportive treatment, in detection of COVID-19 complications, as early detection and intervention made a huge difference in patients’ prognosis. Subjects and Methods: After verbal consent and clearance from ethics committee, all the 3 patients (n=3) presenting with common cold, fever, cough, and breathlessness, along with obesity were considered for entry to this study. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed via a positive rtPCR test among all the patients. All the patients were given standard treatment. Results: All the 3 cases were obese adults aged 51 years old male, 33-year-old male, and 45- year-old female, all of them presented with fever, cough, breathlessness, and body ache simulating a respiratory tract viral infection. They were initially treated with Cephalosporin IV 1 g, Levaquin 750 mg daily, and subcutaneous injection of low molecular weight heparin 40 mg BID, Dexamethasone 6 mg IV BID depending upon the clinical status of these patients. Those patients who had lower oxygen saturation below 90% (n=2) were also administered dexamethasone dosage to 8 mg BID IV, and meropenem to 1 g IV BID, and continue supportive treatment for possible benefit. All patients recovered. Conclusions: Over the course of our 3 cases series, we were able to observe a clinical association between obesity, and COVID-19 symptoms, and post-infection symptoms. While this is a preliminary outcome on the impact, it does raise questions about disease modifications in patients with obesity, and its impact on response to treatment. We also saw the importance of supportive treatment, in the detection of COVID-19 complications, as early detection and intervention made a huge difference in patients’ prognosis.
BACKGROUND Teens and young adults increasingly utilize the internet and social media for health information. Skin, hair, and nail supplements are commonly advertised on social media sites. Such dermatological supplements may be pharmacologically active and pose risk for adverse effects. Instagram is a popular social media platform, used by influencers to promote products. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the popularity, ingredients, marketing, and health claims of Instagram posts advertising skin, hair, and nail supplements. METHODS Instagram was searched between April and May 2021 for posts with the hashtags “skin supplement[s],” “nail supplement[s],” and “hair supplement[s].” Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied until 100 posts from March 2021 were collected. Posts were evaluated for popularity metrics, ingredients, health claims, marketing strategies, and endorsements. RESULTS Posts had a median of 30 likes and 0 comments, with only 4% of posts made by verified accounts. Only 1% of posts contained a visible Supplement Facts label. Nearly 1/5 of posts made no mention of what ingredients are contained in the supplement. Approximately 1/3 of posts mentioned vitamins and 1/4 mentioned minerals without specifying which ones. The most common health claim was “make skin glow” and hair loss/growth and acne were the conditions mentioned most frequently. 22% of posts featured influencers, 6% of posts included a giveaway, and 7% of posts included a promo code. CONCLUSIONS Dermatological supplements on Instagram contained various active ingredients and made far-reaching health claims, addressing skin conditions as well as arthritis, cardiac issues, and weight loss. The FDA does not regulate the safety of dietary supplements, nor evaluate the validity of such claims. Ingredients such as vitamin A found in posts often did not include the dose, which is important in evaluating teratogenic risk. More generally, many supplement posts failed to show a clear image of the Supplement Facts label, as well as which vitamins and minerals the supplement contains. Other potentially dangerous ingredients included saw palmetto and biotin. Posts endorsed by an influencer or with a greater number of likes or comments may lead to greater consumer trust in the product, though only one influencer identified in this study was a board-certified dermatologist. As such, social media represents an underutilized tool by dermatologists, which could be useful in debunking health myths. To accurately counsel patients, who may already retrieve health information from Instagram, it is important for the dermatology community to be familiar with the marketing and claims made by products on social media.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.