Women, Older Age and Higher BMI linked to Long COVID-19 Risk

A new study by Vasiliki Tsampasian and team Post-COVID-19 condition, or "long COVID-19" is more commonly associated with female sex, older age and clinical characteristics including cigarette use and body mass index (BMI). Further a immunization against COVID 19 offered protection against PCC sequelae.

The findings of the study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association Internal Medicine. 

Millions of individuals worldwide have been impacted by the complicated heterogeneous disorder known as the post-COVID-19 condition. It is crucial to identify possible risk factors so that clinicians can provide early and effective therapeutic assistance to those who are most at risk of developing PCC. Hence, in order to assess the demographic traits and comorbidities that have been linked to a higher risk of developing PCC, this study was carried out.

Databases for Medline and Embase were continuously searched from their beginning until December 5, 2022. All published studies that examined the risk factors and/or predictors of PCC in adult (patients over the age of 18) patients were included in the meta-analysis. The odds ratios (ORs) from the chosen studies were combined for each risk factor. The probability of acquiring PCC in persons with and without each possible risk factor was assessed using the random-effects model. From December 5, 2022, until February 10, 2023, data analysis was done.

The key findings of this study were:

5334 records were found in the first search, of which 255 articles received full-text examination. 

Of these, 41 articles and a total of 860 783 patients were found to be included. 

The results of the meta-analysis demonstrated that PCC risk was enhanced by female sex, age, high BMI, and smoking. 

Moreover, it was discovered that comorbidities and prior hospitalization or ICU admission were linked to a significant risk of PCC. 

Patients who had received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had a considerably decreased chance of developing PCC than individuals who had not received the vaccine.

In conclusion, the results of this comprehensive review and meta-analysis showed that while immunization provided protection against PCC sequelae, some demographic factors (such as age and sex) and comorbidities were strongly related with an elevated risk of developing PCC. 

Reference: 

Tsampasian, V., Elghazaly, H., Chattopadhyay, R., Debski, M., Naing, T. K. P., Garg, P., Clark, A., Ntatsaki, E., & Vassiliou, V. S. (2023). Risk Factors Associated With Post−COVID-19 Condition. In JAMA Internal Medicine. American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.0750