학술논문
Clinical and Laboratory Findings of COVID-19 in High-Altitude Inhabitants of Saudi Arabia.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Abdelsalam M; Alameen Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Mansoura Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, Internal Medicine Department, College of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.; Althaqafi RMM; College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Assiri SA; College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Althagafi TM; Internal Medicine Department, King Abdulaziz Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.; Althagafi SM; General Department of Medical Services, Security Forces Hospital, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.; Fouda AY; Alameen Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Anesthesiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.; Ramadan A; Alameen Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.; Rabah M; Alameen Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.; Ahmed RM; Alameen Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Albbassia Chest Hospital, Cairo, Egypt.; Ibrahim ZS; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt.; Nemenqani DM; College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Alghamdi AN; College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Al Aboud D; College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Abdel-Moneim AS; College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Alsulaimani AA; Alameen Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Source
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101648047 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2296-858X (Print) Linking ISSN: 2296858X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Front Med (Lausanne) Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2296-858X
Abstract
Background: SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, continues to cause a worldwide pandemic, with more than 147 million being affected globally as of this writing. People's responses to COVID-19 range from asymptomatic to severe, and the disease is sometimes fatal. Its severity is affected by different factors and comorbidities of the infected patients. Living at a high altitude could be another factor that affects the severity of the disease in infected patients. Methods: In the present study, we have analyzed the clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings of COVID-19-infected patients in Taif, a high-altitude region of Saudi Arabia. In addition, we compared matched diseased subjects to those living at sea level. We hypothesized that people living in high-altitude locations are prone to develop a more severe form of COVID-19 than those living at sea level. Results: Age and a high Charlson comorbidity score were associated with increased numbers of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and mortality among COVID-19 patients. These ICU admissions and fatalities were found mainly in patients with comorbidities. Rates of leukocytosis, neutrophilia, higher D-dimer, ferritin, and highly sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in ICU patients. CRP was the most independent of the laboratory biomarkers found to be potential predictors of death. COVID-19 patients who live at higher altitude developed a less severe form of the disease and had a lower mortality rate, in comparison to matched subjects living at sea level. Conclusion: CRP and Charlson comorbidity scores can be considered predictive of disease severity. People living at higher altitudes developed less severe forms of COVID-19 disease than those living at sea level, due to a not-yet-known mechanism.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2021 Abdelsalam, Althaqafi, Assiri, Althagafi, Althagafi, Fouda, Ramadan, Rabah, Ahmed, Ibrahim, Nemenqani, Alghamdi, Al Aboud, Abdel-Moneim and Alsulaimani.)
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2021 Abdelsalam, Althaqafi, Assiri, Althagafi, Althagafi, Fouda, Ramadan, Rabah, Ahmed, Ibrahim, Nemenqani, Alghamdi, Al Aboud, Abdel-Moneim and Alsulaimani.)