Comorbidities and Age Are Associated With Persistent COVID-19 PCR Positivity

Abstract

ObjectivesThe impact of demographics and comorbidities on the duration of COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab PCR positivity remains unclear. The objective of our analysis is to determine the impact of age, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, comorbidities, and ethnicity on the duration of COVID-19 PCR positivity among hospitalized patients in a large group of hospital.MethodWe studied 530 patients from a large hospital system and time to SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA PCR negativity at any-time during hospitalization or following discharge from the hospital was the primary endpoint. We included patients 18 years or older who tested positive for COVID-19 during an inpatient, outpatient, or emergency room visit between February 1, 2020, and April 14, 2020.ResultsOverall, 315 (59.4%) of our patient population continued to have a positive SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA PCR 4 weeks after the initial positive test. We found that age>70 years, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, or coronary artery disease are associated with persistent PCR positivity for more than 4 weeks after initial diagnosis.ConclusionAge, and the presence of co-morbidities should be taken into consideration when interpreting a positive COVID PCR test.

Prolonged PCR positivity in elderly patients infected with SARS-CoV-2

“…Our data demonstrate that older age (≥80 years) is correlated with prolonged duration of PCR positivity compared to younger persons (<40 years), aligning with earlier meta-analysis data showing a positive correlation of pooled mean duration of PCR positivity with age. 2 This is further corroborated by recent studies showing age, 7 , 8 , 9 residence in long-term care facilities, 10 medical comorbidities (including hypertension, chronic kidney disease, hyperlipidaemia, obesity and coronary artery disease), 7 immunomodulatory therapy 8 and duration of symptom onset 9 are associated with prolonged PCR positivity. By contrast, studies have shown no correlation between duration of PCR positivity and disease severity or clinical outcomes.…”

The effect of COVID‐19 on patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria treated with omalizumab and antihistamines: A cross‐sectional, comparative study

“…Furthermore, binary logistic regression analyses showed that being at a age >45 years was shown to increased the risk of getting a positive COVID19 RT‐PCR 3.619 fold (OR, 3.619; 95% confidence interval, 1.076–12.175; p = 0.038). In a study by Aldhaeefi et al, 27 it is found that age >70 years, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and coronary artery disease are associated with persistent PCR positivity for more than 4 weeks. The associated risk factors for mortality in COVID‐19 patients are found to be age ≥50 years, the presence of comorbidities such as kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension in a meta‐analysis by Biswas et al 28 Conversely, we did not find any relationship COVID‐19 RT‐PCR results and the presence of previous malignancy, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders, and rheumatologic disorders ( p > 0.05).…”

Hyperlipidemia, COVID-19 and acute pancreatitis: A tale of three entities

“…Thirty-four papers were reviewed after screening, which reported the incidence of hyperlipidemia in COVID-19 patients ( Table 2 ). 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 The incidence of hyperlipidemia ranged from 0.30% to 81.82% in COVID-19 patients among different studies. Potential reasons for the variations could be: 1) Regional factors led to the difference in baseline lipids levels; 2) The definition of hyperlipidemia varied in different studies.…”