The prognostic value of comorbidity for the severity of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis study

Abstract

Background and objectives With the increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, the global health apparatus is facing insufficient resources. The main objective of the current study is to provide additional data regarding the clinical characteristics of the patients diagnosed with COVID-19, and in particular to analyze the factors associated with disease severity, lack of improvement, and mortality. Methods 102 studies were included in the present meta-analysis, all of which were published before September 24, 2020. The studies were found by searching a number of databases, including Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Embase. We performed a thorough search from early February until September 24. The selected papers were evaluated and analyzed using Stata software application version 14. Results Ultimately, 102 papers were selected for this meta- analysis, covering 121,437 infected patients. The mean age of the patients was 58.42 years. The results indicate a prevalence of 79.26% for fever (95% CI: 74.98–83.26; I2 = 97.35%), 60.70% for cough (95% CI: 56.91–64.43; I2 = 94.98%), 33.21% for fatigue or myalgia (95% CI: 28.86–37.70; I2 = 96.12%), 31.30% for dyspnea (95% CI: 26.14–36.69; I2 = 97.67%), and 10.65% for diarrhea (95% CI: 8.26–13.27; I2 = 94.20%). The prevalence for the most common comorbidities was 28.30% for hypertension (95% CI: 23.66–33.18; I2 = 99.58%), 14.29% for diabetes (95% CI: 11.88–16.87; I2 = 99.10%), 12.30% for cardiovascular diseases (95% CI: 9.59–15.27; I2 = 99.33%), and 5.19% for chronic kidney disease (95% CI: 3.95–6.58; I2 = 96.42%). Conclusions We evaluated the prevalence of some of the most important comorbidities in COVID-19 patients, indicating that some underlying disorders, including hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic kidney disease, can be considered as risk factors for patients with COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, the results show that an elderly male with underlying diseases is more likely to have severe COVID-19.

Role of Inflammatory Cytokines in COVID-19 Patients: A Review on Molecular Mechanisms, Immune Functions, Immunopathology and Immunomodulatory Drugs to Counter Cytokine Storm

“…Recently, few potent vaccine candidates have been developed successfully, and the vaccination program is in progress at the global level to combat COVID-19 [6]; however, still effective drugs and therapeutics are awaited to be made available against this pandemic virus. The increase in the severity and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with pre-existing comorbidities [7,8]; the recent scenario of second wave of COVID-19 leading to a high increase in the number of cases [6]; emerging virus variants (SARS-CoV-2 UK variant B.1.1.7, South Africa B.1.351 variant and others) [6]; animal spillover events, cross-species jumping, and associated zoonotic concerns of this virus [9][10][11] have posed high challenges to the fight against COVID-19. It has been estimated that the virus takes about 5-14 days to incubate inside the human body [12].…”

Diverse Immunological Factors Influencing Pathogenesis in Patients with COVID-19: A Review on Viral Dissemination, Immunotherapeutic Options to Counter Cytokine Storm and Inflammatory Responses

“…Both symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported; the symptomatic infection may lead to moderate and severe clinical pathology of COVID-19 with varying general mortality rates of 2 to 5%, while in the majority of the population, the viral infection has no depleting effects and thus recovery occurs [9,10]. Nevertheless, the effect of the disease is highly intensified in patients with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular vascular diseases, and diabetes [11][12][13]. High efforts have been made at the global level to design and develop effective drugs, therapies and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 [14][15][16][17].…”

Role of Resveratrol in Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular Disorders and Cardiovascular Complications Related to COVID-19 Disease: Mode of Action and Approaches Explored to Increase Its Bioavailability

“…During 2020, many meta-analyses and meta-meta-analyses reported the positive association between underlying diseases, especially CVD, and the illness severity among COVID-19 patients [ 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 , 225 ]. Resveratrol can alleviate the numerous factors associated with CVD, so it has potential as a functional supplement to reduce COVID-19 illness severity in patients displaying poor prognosis.…”