1
|
Montoya MM, Gander JC, Suglia SF, McDonald B, Patel SA, Davis T, Patzer RE, Jagannathan R, Teunis L, Harding JL. Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Severity Are Partially Mediated by Chronic Stress-Evidence from a Large Integrated Healthcare System. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2024:10.1007/s40615-024-01920-6. [PMID: 38294635 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-01920-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Racial and ethnic minorities have experienced a disproportionate burden of severe COVID-19. Whether chronic stress, also disproportionately experienced by racial and ethnic minorities, explains this excess risk is unknown. METHODS We identified 9577 adults (≥ 18 years) diagnosed with COVID-19 from January 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021, enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Georgia (KPGA) with complete biomarker data. Self-reported race (Black or White) was defined from electronic medical records. Chronic stress, defined as allostatic load (AL), a composite score (scale 0-7) based on seven cardio-metabolic biomarkers, was categorized as below (low AL) or above (high AL) the median. Severe COVID-19 was defined as hospitalization or mortality within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. The association between race, AL, and severe COVID-19 was assessed using multivariable Poisson regression. The mediating effect of AL was assessed using the Valeri and VanderWeele method. All results were expressed as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS Overall, Black (vs. White) KPGA members had an 18% excess risk of AL (RR: 1.18, 95%CI: 1.14-1.23) and a 24% excess risk of severe COVID-19 (RR: 1.24, 95%CI: 1.12, 1.37). AL explained 23% of the Black-White disparities in severe COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS In our study, chronic stress, characterized by AL, partially mediated Black-White disparities in severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miranda M Montoya
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jennifer C Gander
- Center for Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shakira F Suglia
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bennett McDonald
- Center for Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shivani A Patel
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Teaniese Davis
- Center for Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Ram Jagannathan
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Larissa Teunis
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jessica L Harding
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Harding JL, Doucet N, Patel SA, Davis T, McDonald B, Goldberg B, Patzer RE, Walker-Williams D, Jagannathan R, Teunis L, Gander JC. The Association Between Black vs. White Race and 30-Day Hospitalization Among People Diagnosed with COVID-19 Within an Integrated Care Setting: a Cohort Study. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2023:10.1007/s40615-023-01894-x. [PMID: 38110800 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-023-01894-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Black Americans are more likely to experience hospitalization from COVID-19 compared with White Americans. Whether this excess risk differs by age, sex, obesity, or diabetes, key risk factors for COVID hospitalization, among an integrated population with uniform healthcare access, are less clear. METHODS We identified all adult members (≥ 18 years) of Kaiser Permanente Georgia (KPGA) diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021 (N = 24,564). We restricted the analysis to members of Black or White race identified from electronic medical records. Our primary outcome was first hospitalization within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. To assess the association between race and 30-day hospitalization, we performed multivariable logistic regression adjusting for several member and neighborhood-level characteristics, and tested for interactions of race with age, sex, diabetes, and obesity. A regression-based decomposition method was then used to estimate how much of the observed race disparity in 30-day hospitalization could be explained by member and neighborhood-level factors. RESULTS Overall, 11.27% of Black KPGA members were hospitalized within 30 days of a COVID diagnosis, as compared with 9.44% of White KPGA members. Black (vs. White) KPGA members had a 34% (aOR: 1.32 [95% CI: 1.19-1.47]) higher odds of 30-day hospitalization following COVID-19 after accounting for clinical differences. The odds of 30-day hospitalization in Black vs. White KPGA members did not differ significantly by sex (men: 1.46 [1.25-1.70]; women: 1.24 [1.07-1.43]), by age (18-29 years: 1.33 [0. 841-2.10]; 30-49 years: 1.26 [1.02-1.56]; ≥ 50 years: 1.24 [1.10-1.41]); by diabetes status (with diabetes: 1.38 [1.16-1.66]; without diabetes: 1.26 [1.11-1.44]), or by obesity (with obesity: 1.31 [1.15-1.50]; without obesity: 1.28 [1.06-1.53]). Factors that, if Black and White KPGA members had the same level of exposure, would be most likely to reduce the Black-White disparity in 30-day hospitalization from COVID-19 were obesity, history of flu vaccine, and neighborhood-level income and social vulnerability. CONCLUSIONS Early in the pandemic, Black (vs. White) members of an integrated health system had higher odds of being hospitalized within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis and this excess risk was similar by sex, age, and comorbidities. Factors that explained the largest proportions of race-based disparities were obesity, receipt of flu vaccine, and neighborhood-level social determinants of health. These findings suggest that social determinants of health, or other unmeasured factors, may be drivers of racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Harding
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Nicole Doucet
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shivani A Patel
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Teaniese Davis
- Center for Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bennett McDonald
- Center for Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Benjamin Goldberg
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Rachel E Patzer
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | | | - Ram Jagannathan
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Larissa Teunis
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jennifer C Gander
- Center for Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Thaweethai T, Jolley SE, Karlson EW, Levitan EB, Levy B, McComsey GA, McCorkell L, Nadkarni GN, Parthasarathy S, Singh U, Walker TA, Selvaggi CA, Shinnick DJ, Schulte CCM, Atchley-Challenner R, Alba GA, Alicic R, Altman N, Anglin K, Argueta U, Ashktorab H, Baslet G, Bassett IV, Bateman L, Bedi B, Bhattacharyya S, Bind MA, Blomkalns AL, Bonilla H, Bush PA, Castro M, Chan J, Charney AW, Chen P, Chibnik LB, Chu HY, Clifton RG, Costantine MM, Cribbs SK, Davila Nieves SI, Deeks SG, Duven A, Emery IF, Erdmann N, Erlandson KM, Ernst KC, Farah-Abraham R, Farner CE, Feuerriegel EM, Fleurimont J, Fonseca V, Franko N, Gainer V, Gander JC, Gardner EM, Geng LN, Gibson KS, Go M, Goldman JD, Grebe H, Greenway FL, Habli M, Hafner J, Han JE, Hanson KA, Heath J, Hernandez C, Hess R, Hodder SL, Hoffman MK, Hoover SE, Huang B, Hughes BL, Jagannathan P, John J, Jordan MR, Katz SD, Kaufman ES, Kelly JD, Kelly SW, Kemp MM, Kirwan JP, Klein JD, Knox KS, Krishnan JA, Kumar A, Laiyemo AO, Lambert AA, Lanca M, Lee-Iannotti JK, Logarbo BP, Longo MT, Luciano CA, Lutrick K, Maley JH, Marathe JG, Marconi V, Marshall GD, Martin CF, Matusov Y, Mehari A, Mendez-Figueroa H, Mermelstein R, Metz TD, Morse R, Mosier J, Mouchati C, Mullington J, Murphy SN, Neuman RB, Nikolich JZ, Ofotokun I, Ojemakinde E, Palatnik A, Palomares K, Parimon T, Parry S, Patterson JE, Patterson TF, Patzer RE, Peluso MJ, Pemu P, Pettker CM, Plunkett BA, Pogreba-Brown K, Poppas A, Quigley JG, Reddy U, Reece R, Reeder H, Reeves WB, Reiman EM, Rischard F, Rosand J, Rouse DJ, Ruff A, Saade G, Sandoval GJ, Schlater SM, Shepherd F, Sherif ZA, Simhan H, Singer NG, Skupski DW, Sowles A, Sparks JA, Sukhera FI, Taylor BS, Teunis L, Thomas RJ, Thorp JM, Thuluvath P, Ticotsky A, Tita AT, Tuttle KR, Urdaneta AE, Valdivieso D, VanWagoner TM, Vasey A, Verduzco-Gutierrez M, Wallace ZS, Ward HD, Warren DE, Weiner SJ, Welch S, Whiteheart SW, Wiley Z, Wisnivesky JP, Yee LM, Zisis S, Horwitz LI, Foulkes AS. Development of a Definition of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. JAMA 2023; 329:1934-1946. [PMID: 37278994 PMCID: PMC10214179 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.8823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 152.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Importance SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with persistent, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects occurring after acute infection, termed postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also known as long COVID. Characterizing PASC requires analysis of prospectively and uniformly collected data from diverse uninfected and infected individuals. Objective To develop a definition of PASC using self-reported symptoms and describe PASC frequencies across cohorts, vaccination status, and number of infections. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective observational cohort study of adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection at 85 enrolling sites (hospitals, health centers, community organizations) located in 33 states plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Participants who were enrolled in the RECOVER adult cohort before April 10, 2023, completed a symptom survey 6 months or more after acute symptom onset or test date. Selection included population-based, volunteer, and convenience sampling. Exposure SARS-CoV-2 infection. Main Outcomes and Measures PASC and 44 participant-reported symptoms (with severity thresholds). Results A total of 9764 participants (89% SARS-CoV-2 infected; 71% female; 16% Hispanic/Latino; 15% non-Hispanic Black; median age, 47 years [IQR, 35-60]) met selection criteria. Adjusted odds ratios were 1.5 or greater (infected vs uninfected participants) for 37 symptoms. Symptoms contributing to PASC score included postexertional malaise, fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms, palpitations, changes in sexual desire or capacity, loss of or change in smell or taste, thirst, chronic cough, chest pain, and abnormal movements. Among 2231 participants first infected on or after December 1, 2021, and enrolled within 30 days of infection, 224 (10% [95% CI, 8.8%-11%]) were PASC positive at 6 months. Conclusions and Relevance A definition of PASC was developed based on symptoms in a prospective cohort study. As a first step to providing a framework for other investigations, iterative refinement that further incorporates other clinical features is needed to support actionable definitions of PASC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tanayott Thaweethai
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | - Bruce Levy
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Lisa McCorkell
- Patient-Led Research Collaborative, Calabasas, California
| | | | | | - Upinder Singh
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mario Castro
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City
| | | | | | - Peter Chen
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | | | - Helen Y Chu
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Cheryl E Farner
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
| | | | | | - Vivian Fonseca
- Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Minjoung Go
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | | | | | | | | | - John Hafner
- University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine
| | - Jenny E Han
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - James Heath
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington
| | | | - Rachel Hess
- University of Utah Schools of the Health Sciences, Salt Lake City
| | - Sally L Hodder
- West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Morgantown
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Janice John
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | - Stuart D Katz
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York
| | | | | | - Sara W Kelly
- University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria
| | | | - John P Kirwan
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
| | | | | | - Jerry A Krishnan
- University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, Chicago
| | - Andre Kumar
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jason H Maley
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | | | - Yuri Matusov
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Alem Mehari
- Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jan E Patterson
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Beth A Plunkett
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Illinois
| | | | - Athena Poppas
- Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | | | - Uma Reddy
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Rebecca Reece
- West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown
| | | | - W B Reeves
- Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
| | | | | | | | | | - Adam Ruff
- The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City
| | | | - Grecio J Sandoval
- Milken Institute of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
| | | | | | - Zaki A Sherif
- Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Steven J Weiner
- The George Washington University Biostatistics Center, Rockville, Maryland
| | | | | | | | | | - Lynn M Yee
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | | | - Andrea S Foulkes
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Harding J, Patel S, Davis T, Patzer R, McDonald B, Walker-Williams D, Jagannathan R, Teunis L, Gander J. Study Protocol: A Mixed-Methods Study for Understanding Racial Disparities in COVID-19-Related Complications. JMIR Res Protoc 2022; 11:e38914. [PMID: 36166652 PMCID: PMC9555818 DOI: 10.2196/38914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the disproportionate and long-standing health disparities experienced by Black communities. Although it is acknowledged that social determinants of health (SDOH) rather than biological factors likely contribute to this disparity, few studies using rigorous analytic approaches in large, information-rich community-based data sets are dedicated to understanding the underlying drivers of these racial disparities. Objective The overall aim of our study is to elucidate the mechanisms by which racial disparities in severe COVID-19 outcomes arise, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Methods In this protocol, we outline a convergent parallel mixed methods approach to identifying, quantifying, and contextualizing factors that contribute to the dramatic disparity in COVID-19 severity (ie, hospitalization, mortality) in Black versus white COVID-19 patients within the integrated health care system of Kaiser Permanente Georgia (KPGA). Toward this end, we will generate two quantitative cohorts of KPGA members with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis between January 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021: (1) an electronic medical record (EMR) cohort including routinely captured data on diagnoses, medications, and laboratory values, and a subset of patients hospitalized at Emory Healthcare to capture additional in-hospital data; and (2) a survey cohort, where participants will answer a range of questions related to demographics (eg, race, education), usual health behaviors (eg, physical activity, smoking), impact of COVID-19 (eg, job loss, caregiving responsibilities), and medical mistrust. Key outcomes of interest for these two cohorts include hospitalization, mortality, intensive care unit admission, hospital readmission, and long COVID-19. Finally, we will conduct qualitative semistructured interviews to capture perceptions of and experiences of being hospitalized with COVID-19 as well as related interactions with KPGA health care providers. We will analyze and interpret the quantitative and qualitative data separately, and then integrate the qualitative and quantitative findings using a triangulation design approach. Results This study has been funded by a Woodruff Health Sciences grant from December 2020 to December 2022. As of August 31, 2022, 31,500 KPGA members diagnosed with COVID-19 have been included in the EMR cohort, including 3028 who were hospitalized at Emory Healthcare, and 482 KPGA members completed the survey. In addition, 20 KPGA members (10 Black and 10 white) have been interviewed about their experiences navigating care with COVID-19. Quantitative and qualitative data cleaning and coding have been completed. Data analysis is underway with results anticipated to be published in December 2022. Conclusions Results from this mixed methods pilot study in a diverse integrated care setting in the southeastern United States will provide insights into the mechanisms underpinning racial disparities in COVID-19 complications. The quantitative and qualitative data will provide important context to generate hypotheses around the mechanisms for racial disparities in COVID-19, and may help to inform the development of multilevel strategies to reduce the burden of racial disparities in COVID-19 and its ongoing sequelae. Incorporating contextual information, elucidated from qualitative interviews, will increase the efficacy, adoption, and sustainability of such strategies. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/38914
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Harding
- Department of Surgery, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle Suite 1019, Atlanta, US
| | - Shivani Patel
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, US
| | | | - Rachel Patzer
- Department of Surgery, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle Suite 1019, Atlanta, US
| | | | | | | | - Larissa Teunis
- Department of Surgery, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle Suite 1019, Atlanta, US
| | | |
Collapse
|