COVID-19 in the state of São Paulo: the evolution of a pandemic

Influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on cerebrovascular diseases in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil

BACKGROUND

The rapid spread of covid-19 overwhelmed healthcare systems. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on hospitalizations and hospital deaths due to cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) in São Paulo state, Brazil.

METHODS

This ecologic study evaluated the CVD hospitalizations and hospital deaths (2017-2021) by demographic features and CVD type. During the pandemic (2020-2021), segmented regression models were used to detect changes in CVD trends. We also evaluated the detrended cross-correlation between CVD deaths and hospitalization with the SARS-Cov-2 infection series.

RESULTS

During the pandemic, there is a 35% reduction in CVD hospitalizations, mainly in elective admissions and ischemic stroke, but a 6.5% increase in deaths, especially in Black and Brown individuals, and those aged 20-29 years. From 2020 to 2021, Black and Brown individuals experience an earlier and more prolonged increase in hospital deaths. Ischemic CVD hospitalizations decrease in the first quarter of 2020. Older people exhibit a monthly increase of 2.9% in hospitalizations and 5.3% in deaths in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2021. SARS-Cov-2 infections are inversely correlated to CVD hospitalizations and directly correlated to CVD hospital deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

Covid-19 pandemic negatively affects CVD hospitalizations and deaths, particularly in Black and Brown individuals. The decrease in hospitalizations and increase in hospital deaths of ischemic CVD highlights vulnerability in accessing healthcare resources during the pandemic.

Evaluation of COVID-19 cases treated in the intensive care unit in a coastal city hospital during the pandemic

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that infects the respiratory tract and was the causing agent of COVID-19, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Several studies have been carried out to understand the pathophysiology of the disease, immune reactions, and risk factors that could aggravate the condition and predict the prognosis of patients. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the most prevalent laboratory data of hospitalized patients associated with discharge or death. A survey was conducted utilizing the medical records of COVID-19 cases in patients treated in the intensive care unit of the Guilherme Álvaro Hospital in the seaside city of Santos, Brazil. We correlated the most important variables reported in the literature to provide a global comparison of the population affected by the virus in the Santos lowlands.

Using Association Rules to Obtain Sets of Prevalent Symptoms throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Similarities between Cases of COVID-19 and Unspecified SARS in São Paulo-Brazil

The efficient recognition of symptoms in viral infections holds promise for swift and precise diagnosis, thus mitigating health implications and the potential recurrence of infections. COVID-19 presents unique challenges due to various factors influencing diagnosis, especially regarding disease symptoms that closely resemble those of other viral diseases, including other strains of SARS, thus impacting the identification of useful and meaningful symptom patterns as they emerge in infections. Therefore, this study proposes an association rule mining approach, utilising the Apriori algorithm to analyse the similarities between individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and those with unspecified SARS diagnosis. The objective is to investigate, through symptom rules, the presence of COVID-19 patterns among individuals initially not diagnosed with the disease. Experiments were conducted using cases from Brazilian SARS datasets for São Paulo State. Initially, reporting percentage similarities of symptoms in both groups were analysed. Subsequently, the top ten rules from each group were compared. Finally, a search for the top five most frequently occurring positive rules among the unspecified ones, and vice versa, was conducted to identify identical rules, with a particular focus on the presence of positive rules among the rules of individuals initially diagnosed with unspecified SARS.

Exposure to air pollution and hospitalization due to COVID-19 in São José dos Campos, Brazil

The association between exposure to air pollutants and respiratory diseases is well known. This study aimed to identify the association between this exposure and hospitalizations for COVID-19 in São José dos Campos, SP, a medium-sized city, between April 2020 and April 2021. Hospitalization data, concerning code B34.2, was supplied by DATASUS, and data concerning pollutants and climate variables were supplied by CETESB. Cases were quantified by sex, age, length of hospital stay in days, and type of discharge, whether hospital discharge or death. The negative binomial regression model was chosen. Estimates were produced for the relative risk (RR) of significant exposure to pollutants (P≤0.05) with a 10 µg/m3 increase of pollutant, as well as for excess hospitalizations. There were 1873 hospitalizations, with a daily average of 4.7 (±3.8), ranging from zero to 21: 716 deaths (38.2%) were recorded, 1065 admissions were men, and women were less susceptible (OR=0.82). The average age of women was higher than that of men; in cases of death, men were older than women; discharged patients were younger. All the above variables were significant. The risk of ozone exposure was higher and more significant in Lag 2, and the risk of nitrogen dioxide exposure was high in Lag 3, which was the period of the highest increase in hospitalizations, at 11.3%. The findings of this study, the first conducted in Brazil, corroborate the results of studies conducted in other centers.

Characterization of Clinical Features of Hospitalized Patients Due to the SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Absence of Comorbidities Regarding the Sex: An Epidemiological Study of the First Year of the Pandemic in Brazil

The male sex, due to the presence of genetic, immunological, hormonal, social, and environmental factors, is associated with higher severity and death in Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19. We conducted an epidemiological study to characterize the COVID-19 clinical profile, severity, and outcome according to sex in patients with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) due to the fact of this disease. We carried out an epidemiological analysis using epidemiological data made available by the OpenDataSUS, which stores information about SARS in Brazil. We recorded the features of the patients admitted to the hospital for SARS treatment due to the presence of COVID-19 (in the absence of comorbidities) and associated these characteristics with sex and risk of death. The study comprised 336,463 patients, 213,151 of whom were men. Male patients presented a higher number of clinical signs, for example, fever (OR = 1.424; 95%CI = 1.399−1.448), peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) < 95% (OR = 1.253; 95%CI = 1.232−1.274), and dyspnea (OR = 1.146; 95%CI = 1.125−1.166) as well as greater need for admission in intensive care unit (ICU, OR = 1.189; 95%CI = 1.168−1.210), and the use of invasive ventilatory support (OR = 1.306; 95%CI = 1.273−1.339) and noninvasive ventilatory support (OR = 1.238; 95%CI = 1.216−1.260) when compared with female patients. Curiously, the male sex was associated only with a small increase in the risk of death when compared with the female sex (OR = 1.041; 95%CI = 1.023−1.060). We did a secondary analysis to identify the main predictors of death. In that sense, the multivariate analysis enabled the prediction of the risk of death, and the male sex was one of the predictors (OR = 1.101; 95%CI = 1.011−1.199); however, with a small effect size. In addition, other factors also contributed to this prediction and presented a great effect size, they are listed below: older age (61−72 years old (OR = 15.778; 95%CI = 1.865−133.492), 73−85 years old (OR = 31.978; 95%CI = 3.779−270.600), and +85 years old (OR = 68.385; 95%CI = 8.164−589.705)); race (Black (OR = 1.247; 95%CI = 1.016−1.531), Pardos (multiracial background; OR = 1.585; 95%CI = 1.450−1.732), and Indigenous (OR = 3.186; 95%CI = 1.927−5.266)); clinical signs (for instance, dyspnea (OR = 1.231; 95%CI = 1.110−1.365) and SpO2 < 95% (OR = 1.367; 95%CI = 1.238−1.508)); need for admission in the ICU (OR = 3.069; 95%CI = 2.789−3.377); and for ventilatory support (invasive (OR = 10.174; 95%CI = 8.803−11.759) and noninvasive (OR = 1.609; 95%CI = 1.438−1.800)). In conclusion, in Brazil, male patients tend to present the phenotype of higher severity in COVID-19, however, with a small effect on the risk of death.

Considerations on Immunization and Immunosuppression of Patients With Autoimmune Blistering Diseases During COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: Case Report

Autoimmune blistering diseases comprise a rare group of potentially life-threatening dermatoses. Management of autoimmune disorders poses a challenge in terms of achieving disease control and preventing adverse events. Treatment often requires an individualized approach considering disease severity, age, comorbidities, and infectious risk especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Knowledge regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection is still evolving and no specific antiviral therapy is available yet. We report four patients with active disease that required adjustment of treatment during the pandemic to discuss the use of immunosuppressants and immunobiologics, weighing potential risks and benefits of each therapy modality and vaccination status.

Association between exposure to air pollutants and hospitalization for SARS-Cov-2: an ecological time-series study

BACKGROUND

Exposure to air pollutants and illness by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) infection can cause serious pulmonary impairment.

OBJECTIVE

To identify a possible association between exposure to air pollutants and hospitalizations due to SARS-Cov-2.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Ecological time-series study carried out in Taubaté, Tremembé, and Pindamonhangaba in 2020 and 2021.

METHODS

Study with Sars-Cov-2 hospitalizations with information on hospitalization date, sex and age of the subjects, duration of hospitalization, type of discharge, and costs of these hospitalizations. Statistical analysis was performed through a negative binomial regression, with data on pollutant concentrations, temperature, air relative humidity, and hospitalization date. Coefficients obtained by the analysis were transformed into relative risk for hospitalization, which estimated hospitalizations excess according to an increase in pollutant concentrations.

RESULTS

There were 1,300 hospitalizations and 368 deaths, with a predominance of men (61.7%). These data represent an incidence rate of 250.4 per 100,000 inhabitants and 28.4% hospital lethality. Significant exposure (P value < 0.05) occurred seven days before hospital admission (lag 7) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (relative risk, RR = 1.0124) and two days before hospital admission for PM2.5 (RR = 1.0216). A 10 μg/m3 in NO2 concentration would decrease by 320 hospitalizations and » US $ 240,000 in costs; a 5 μg/m3 in PM2.5 concentration would decrease by 278 hospitalizations and » US $ 190,000 in costs.

CONCLUSION

An association between exposure to air pollutants and hospital admission due to Sars-Cov-2 was observed with excess hospitalization and costs for the Brazilian public health system.

DEVELOPMENT OF TERMINOLOGICAL SUBSET FOR PEOPLE WITH COVID-19 SEQUELAE

ABSTRACT Objectives to develop a terminological subset of the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) for people with covid-19 sequelae.® Method methodological study, which followed the steps: Identification of the relevant terms contained in the literature related to Covid-19 sequelae; Cross-mapping of the terms identified in the review with the terms of the classification; Construction of the statements of diagnoses, outcomes and nursing interventions and mapping of the constructed statements; Content validation of the statements by specialist nurses; and Structuring of the subset based on Roy's Adaptation Model. For data analysis, the Content Validity Index was used, and the statements with Content Validity Index were validated ≥ 0.80. Content validation was performed by 28 specialist nurses. Results 178 statements of nursing diagnoses/outcomes were constructed, with 450 nursing intervention statements. After content validation, a quantity of 127 diagnoses/outcomes and 148 nursing interventions were obtained, which comprised the terminological subset proposed in the study. Conclusion the validated statements that make up the terminological subset with greater predominance were those outlines in the physiological adaptive mode. However, the repercussions on the spiritual, social and personal dimensions are also highlighted.

DESENVOLVIMENTO DE SUBCONJUNTO TERMINOLÓGICO PARA PESSOAS COM SEQUELAS POR COVID-19

RESUMO Objetivos desenvolver um subconjunto terminológico da Classificação Internacional para a Prática de Enfermagem (CIPE®) para pessoas com sequelas da Covid-19. Método estudo metodológico, que seguiu as etapas: Identificação dos termos relevantes contidos na literatura relacionados às sequelas da Covid-19; Mapeamento cruzado dos termos identificados na revisão com os termos da classificação; Construção dos enunciados de diagnósticos, resultados e intervenções de enfermagem e mapeamento dos enunciados construídos; Validação de conteúdo dos enunciados por enfermeiros especialistas; e Estruturação do subconjunto com base no Modelo de Adaptação de Roy. Para a análise dos dados utilizou-se o Índice de Validade de Conteúdo, sendo validados os enunciados com Índice de Validade de Conteúdo ≥ 0.80. A validação de conteúdo foi realizada por 28 enfermeiros especialistas. Resultados foram construídos 178 enunciados de diagnósticos/resultados de enfermagem, com 450 enunciados de intervenções de enfermagem. Após a validação de conteúdo, obteve-se um quantitativo de 127 diagnósticos/resultados e 148 intervenções de enfermagem, os quais compuseram o subconjunto terminológico proposto no estudo. Conclusão os enunciados validados que compõem o subconjunto terminológico com maior predominância foram os enquadrados no modo adaptativo fisiológico. Contudo, apontam-se também as repercussões nas dimensões espiritual, social e pessoal.