Download This Paper
Preprints with The Lancet is a collaboration between The Lancet Group of journals and SSRN to facilitate the open sharing of preprints for early engagement, community comment, and collaboration. Preprints available here are not Lancet publications or necessarily under review with a Lancet journal. These preprints are early-stage research papers that have not been peer-reviewed. The usual SSRN checks and a Lancet-specific check for appropriateness and transparency have been applied. The findings should not be used for clinical or public health decision-making or presented without highlighting these facts. For more information, please see the FAQs.
Risk Factors for Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Among Iranian Patients: Who Was More Vulnerable?
16 Pages Posted: 9 Apr 2020
More...Abstract
Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to a major concern for people who are more vulnerable to infections. We conducted this study to find out what were the most important risk factors for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected information about clinical and epidemiological features of 105 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia hospitalized in Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital in Tehran. At first, we explored their medical records and then we held an interview with them based on a pre-prepared checklist, including their symptoms, past medical history, their medication history, and also their behavior before hospitalization.
Findings: Out of 105 participants, 76 (72.5%) were men and 54 (51.4%) were older than 54 years of age. A majority of patients (n=18; 17.1%) had both hypertension and diabetes, followed by merely diabetes (n=12; 11.4%). Metformin (n=36; 34.3%) was the most prevalent medication used by studied patient. In addition, 24 patients (22.9%) had been occasional hookah smokers, mostly (75%) were under 46 years old. 19 of the patients eventually died, of whom 11 individuals had diabetes and 10 patients had been using Metformin.
Interpretation: Apparently hookah smoking played a crucial role in spreading COVID-19 in Iran and has made younger people more susceptible. In addition to higher age, immunosuppressive effects of Metformin probably made diabetic patients, who have impaired immune systems, more vulnerable to improve severe COVID-19 pneumonia. More studies on the immune system of vulnerable individuals and identifying their differences, can pave the road to protect them.
Funding Statement: None.
Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by Ethical Research Committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMUS).
Keywords: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; COVID-19; Risk Factors
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation