Wang, B., Li, R., Lu, Z., & Huang, Y. (2020). Does comorbidity increase the risk of patients with COVID-19: evidence from meta-analysis. Aging, 12(7), 6049–6057.

2. Article for FM

Summary:

The aim of this study was to explore whether the presence of common comorbidities increases COVID-19 patients’ risk. A literature search was performed using the electronic platforms (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and other databases) to obtain relevant research studies published up to March 1, 2020. Total of 1558 patients with COVID-19 in 6 studies were enrolled in this meta-analysis eventually. After analysis, the results show that COPD is associated with a dramatically increased risk of aggravation in patients with COVID-19. COVID-19 patients with COPD had a 5.9-fold higher risk of progression than patients without COPD. Moreover, this study identifies an increased risk of aggravation in individuals who have hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cerebrovascular disease. However, this meta-analysis did not provide sufficient evidence that there was a correlation between liver disease, malignant tumor or kidney disease, and COVID-19 patients’ aggravation.

I chose this article, because it is a meta-analysis study that provides the highest level of evidence. Strength of this article is the search methodology they used, such as searching multiple citation databases and trial registries. However, the conclusion of this study needs to be taken with caution, as it has several limitations. Firstly, the small sample size may reduce the significance of the results. Secondly, the judgment criteria for severe and non-severe patients included in the study were not uniform. Thirdly, some included patients who had more than one coexisting illness. Fourth, the quality of different studies was different, which might lead to bias.

Based on the above evidence, I would conclude that COVID-19 patients with hypertension may lead to a poor prognosis. According to the articles, I would aware my patients that hypertension, diabetes, COPD, cardiovascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease as significant risk factors for COVID-19 patients. The knowledge of these factors can better define those COVID-19 patients at higher risk, and thus allow a more targeted and specific approach to prevent those deaths.