Obesity, glucose intolerance, advanced age, and lymphocytopenia are independent risk factors for oxygen requirement in Japanese patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

An Increase in Aspartate Aminotransferase Can Predict Worsening Disease Severity in Japanese Patients with COVID-19

BACKGROUND

The prognostic significance of liver dysfunction in COVID-19 patients remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between liver function test results and severe disease progression in COVID-19 patients.

METHODS

This retrospective study included consecutive Japanese COVID-19 patients admitted between February 2020 and July 2021. Predictive variables for severe disease progression were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Severe disease-free survival was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was divided into three grades: grade 1, AST < 30 U/L; grade 2, 30 U/L ≤ AST < 60 U/L; and grade 3, AST > 60 U/L.

RESULTS

Among 604 symptomatic patients, 141 (23.3%) developed severe disease at a median of 2 days postadmission. The median hospital stay was 10 days, and 43 patients (7.1%) died during hospitalization. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that hypertension, decreased lymphocyte count, and elevated LDH, CRP, and AST levels (grade 2 and grade 3 relative to grade 1) were the significant predictive variables. Severe disease-free survival time was significantly different between the different AST grades (hazard ratio (HR): grade 2 vs. grade 1, 4.07 (95% confidential interval (CI): 2.06-8.03); grade 3 vs. grade 1, 7.66 (95% CI: 3.89-15.1)).

CONCLUSIONS

The AST level at admission was an independent risk factor for severe disease in hospitalized Japanese patients with COVID-19.

Obesity as a Risk Factor for Complications and Mortality in Individuals with SARS-CoV-2: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aimed to analyze the available studies that identified overweight and/or obesity as a risk factor for mortality, use of respiratory support, and changes in biochemical markers in adults hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2. The PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched using PRISMA guidelines until January 2024. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (code: CRD42024501551). Of the 473 articles, only 8 met the inclusion criteria (e.g., adult individuals aged 18 or over diagnosed with COVID-19 individuals with overweight and/or obesity). In addition, the Downs and Black tool was used to assess the quality of the studies. The studies analyzed totaled 9782 adults hospitalized for COVID-19, indicating that overweight and obesity are present in more than half of adults. Diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension are more prevalent in adults with obesity. The systematic review also highlighted that a higher incidence of respiratory support is related to a higher incidence of hospitalization in intensive care units and that adults with overweight and obesity have a higher risk of mortality from COVID-19. Biochemical markers such as procalcitinin, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 are associated with the severity of COVID-19 infection. This systematic review exposed overweight and/or obesity as a risk factor for worse COVID-19 disease, as well as for the need for intensive care, respiratory support, mortality, and changes in essential blood markers.

Glucose control in the early phase of hospitalization is associated with severe prognosis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with diabetes in Japan

We investigated the association of glycemic control in the early phase of hospitalization with the prognosis of COVID-19 in patients with diabetes. We analyzed the relationship between various clinical indices, including preprandial blood glucose levels measured by self-monitoring devices in the early phase after admission, and severe prognosis in 189 patients with complicated diabetes who were admitted to our hospital between February 22, 2020 and June 20, 2021. Enrolled patients had a median age of 72 years, median body mass index of 24.7, median HbA1c of 7.1%, and median mean preprandial capillary glucose (PPCG) of 179.1 mg/dL. Sixty-six patients progressed to severe disease, and the mean PPCG in severe cases was significantly higher than that in non-severe cases, 195.2 vs 167.8 mg/dL (p = 0.005). Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve showed that 179 mg/dL was the cut-off value, and the risk of severity was significantly higher in patients with a mean PPCG of 180 mg/dL or higher (odds ratio (OR) 3.210, p = 0.017) in multiple regression analysis. In this study, we found that the risk of severe COVID-19 increased in patients with a high mean PPCG in the early phase of hospitalization, suggesting that good glucose control in the early phase of COVID-19 with diabetes may be effective in preventing disease severity.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13340-023-00656-8.

Gastrointestinal symptoms in 609 Japanese patients with COVID-19: a single-center retrospective study

BACKGROUND

GI symptoms are common in acute COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to characterize the GI symptoms occurring in Japanese COVID-19 patients.

METHODS

This retrospective single-center cohort study included 751 hospitalized acute COVID-19 patients. The primary outcomes were the frequency and severity of GI symptoms. The secondary outcomes included the association between COVID-19 severity and GI symptoms and the timing of GI symptom onset.

RESULTS

After exclusion, the data of 609 patients were analyzed. The median age was 62 years, and 55% were male. The median time from initial symptom onset to admission was five days. On admission, 92% of the patients had fever, 35.1% had fatigue, 75% had respiratory symptoms, and 75% had pneumonia. The sample included patients with mild (19%), moderate (59%), and severe COVID-19 (22%). A total of 218 patients (36%) had GI symptoms, of which 93% were classified as grade 1/2; 170 patients had both respiratory and GI symptoms. Diarrhea was the most frequent GI symptom, occurring in 170 patients, followed by anorexia in 73 patients and nausea/vomiting in 36 patients, and abdominal pain in 8 patients. There was no significant relationship between COVID-19 severity and GI symptoms. Among COVID-19 patients with both GI and respiratory symptoms, 48% had respiratory symptoms preceding GI symptoms, 25% had GI symptoms preceding respiratory symptoms and 27% had a simultaneous onset of respiratory and GI symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Thirty-six percent of the Japanese COVID-19 patients had GI symptoms; diarrhea was the most frequent GI symptom but did not predict severe COVID-19.

Association of Obesity With COVID-19 Severity and Mortality: An Updated Systemic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression

Background

Obesity affects the course of critical illnesses. We aimed to estimate the association of obesity with the severity and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

Data Sources

A systematic search was conducted from the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic through to 13 October 2021, on databases including Medline (PubMed), Embase, Science Web, and Cochrane Central Controlled Trials Registry. Preprint servers such as BioRxiv, MedRxiv, ChemRxiv, and SSRN were also scanned.

Study Selection and Data Extraction

Full-length articles focusing on the association of obesity and outcome in COVID-19 patients were included. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were used for study selection and data extraction. Our Population of interest were COVID-19 positive patients, obesity is our Intervention/Exposure point, Comparators are Non-obese vs obese patients The chief outcome of the study was the severity of the confirmed COVID-19 positive hospitalized patients in terms of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) or the requirement of invasive mechanical ventilation/intubation with obesity. All-cause mortality in COVID-19 positive hospitalized patients with obesity was the secondary outcome of the study.

Results

In total, 3,140,413 patients from 167 studies were included in the study. Obesity was associated with an increased risk of severe disease (RR=1.52, 95% CI 1.41-1.63, p<0.001, I2 = 97%). Similarly, high mortality was observed in obese patients (RR=1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.16, p=0.006, I2 = 97%). In multivariate meta-regression on severity, the covariate of the female gender, pulmonary disease, diabetes, older age, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension was found to be significant and explained R2 = 40% of the between-study heterogeneity for severity. The aforementioned covariates were found to be significant for mortality as well, and these covariates collectively explained R2 = 50% of the between-study variability for mortality.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that obesity is significantly associated with increased severity and higher mortality among COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the inclusion of obesity or its surrogate body mass index in prognostic scores and improvement of guidelines for patient care management is recommended.

Childhood obesity and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Objective

To estimate the association between childhood obesity and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort followed from 4 to 12 years of age.

Methods

The data were obtained from two independent sources: the Longitudinal Childhood Obesity Study (ELOIN) and the epidemiological surveillance system data from the Community of Madrid (Spain), which served to identify the population within the cohort with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The SARS-CoV-2 registry was cross-checked with the cohort population at 11–12 years of age. A total of 2018 eligible participants were identified in the cohort, who underwent physical examinations at 4, 6, and 9 years of age during which weight, height, and waist circumference were recorded. General obesity (GO) was determined according to the WHO-2007 criteria whereas abdominal obesity (AO) was defined based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. The relative risks (RRs) of infection were estimated using a Poisson regression model and adjusted by sociodemographic variables, physical activity, and perceived health reported by the parents.

Results

The accumulated incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 8.6% (95% CI: 7.3–9.8). The estimated RR of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 2.53 (95% CI: 1.56–4.10) and 2.56 (95% CI: 1.55–4.21) for children 4–9 years old with stable GO and AO, respectively, compared with those who did not present GO.

Conclusions

Childhood obesity is an independent risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study provides new evidence that indicates that obesity increases the vulnerability of the paediatric population to infectious diseases.

Predictors of Hypoxemia and Related Adverse Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: A Double-Center Retrospective Study

Hypoxemia is a hallmark of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity. We sought to determine predictors of hypoxemia and related adverse outcomes among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the two largest hospitals in Jerusalem, Israel, from 9 March through 16 July 2020. Patients were categorized as those who developed reduced (<94%) vs. preserved (≥94%) arterial oxygen saturation (SpO₂) within the first 48 h after arrival to the emergency department. Overall, 492 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with reduced SpO₂ were significantly older, had more comorbidities, higher body surface area (BSA) and body mass index (BMI), lower lymphocyte counts, impaired renal function, and elevated liver enzymes, c-reactive protein (CRP), and D-dimer levels as compared to those with preserved SpO₂. In the multivariable regression analysis, older age (odds ratio (OR) 1.02 per year, p < 0.001), higher BSA (OR 1.16 per 0.10 m², p = 0.003) or BMI (OR 1.05 per 1 kg/m², p = 0.011), lower lymphocyte counts (OR 1.72 per 1 × 10³/μL decrease, p = 0.002), and elevated CRP (1.11 per 1 mg/dL increase, p < 0.001) were found to be independent predictors of low SpO₂. Severe hypoxemia requiring ventilatory support, older age, and pre-existing comorbidities, including underlying renal dysfunction and heart failure, were found to be significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. These findings suggest that assessment of predictors of hypoxemia early at the time of hospitalization with COVID-19 may be helpful in risk stratification and management.