Male gender and kidney illness are associated with an increased risk of severe laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease

Abstract

Background To identify factors predicting severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adolescent and adult patients with laboratory-positive (quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction) infection. Method A retrospective cohort study took place, and data from 740 subjects, from all 32 states of Mexico, were analyzed. The association between the studied factors and severe (dyspnea requiring hospital admission) COVID-19 was evaluated through risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Severe illness was documented in 28% of participants. In multiple analysis, male gender (RR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.06–1.20), advanced age ([reference: 15–29 years old] 30–44, RR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.94–1.11; 45–59, RR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.15–1.38; 60 years or older, RR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.29–1.60), chronic kidney disease (RR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.04–1.64) and thoracic pain (RR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.10–1.24) were associated with an increased risk of severe disease. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating predictors of COVID-19 severity in a large subset of the Latin-American population. Male gender and kidney illness were independently associated with the risk of severe COVID-19. These results may be useful for health care protocols for the early detection and management of patients that may benefit from opportune and specialized supportive medical treatment.

The Association between Influenza Vaccination and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Severe Illness, and Death: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…Five articles [ 6 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ] reported on the association between influenza vaccination and the risk of severe illness and/or death among COVID-19 patients ( Table 2 ). The total number of patients was 111,820, of which the majority (82.9%) were contributed by Fink et al [ 6 ].…”

“…The latter was the only study encompassing a minority (16%) of non-laboratory-confirmed patients. Jehi et al [ 14 ] and Murillo-Zamora et al [ 15 ] found that the likelihood of being vaccinated against influenza was significantly ( p < 0.001) or, respectively, nearly significantly ( p = 0.073) lower among patients who required to be hospitalized compared to those who did not. Likewise, Fink et al [ 6 ] reported a significantly lower odds of requiring intensive care or respiratory support among influenza vaccinees vs. non-vaccinees.…”

Effect of influenza vaccine on COVID-19 mortality: a retrospective study

“…As regards susceptibility to acquiring COVID-19 infection, it was described that flu vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of infection and it was estimated a 28% reduction in death rate in older people with a 10% increase in vaccination coverage [16,17]. Large population studies have shown conflicting results [18][19][20][21]. Jehi et al correlated flu vaccination to an increased rate of hospitalization.…”

Impact of Recommended Maternal Vaccination Programs on the Clinical Presentation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Prospective Observational Study

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has raised questions among the scientific community about the possible cross immunity resulting from common vaccination programs and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although evidence at the molecular level has not been provided yet, there are studies that report an association between Influenza vaccination and a lower risk of serious illness and/or death among COVID-19 patients [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. In addition, a lower rate of Influenza vaccination has been observed among COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization, intensive care or respiratory support, and an inversely proportional association was also found between Influenza vaccination and mortality risk in these patients [ 5 ].…”