1
|
Izquierdo-Condoy JS, Fernandez-Naranjo R, Vasconez-González E, Cordovez S, Tello-De-la-Torre A, Paz C, Delgado-Moreira K, Carrington S, Viscor G, Ortiz-Prado E. Long COVID at Different Altitudes: A Countrywide Epidemiological Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192214673. [PMID: 36429392 PMCID: PMC9690364 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192214673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several reports from around the world have reported that some patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have experienced a range of persistent or new clinical symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. These symptoms can last from weeks to months, impacting everyday functioning to a significant number of patients. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis based on an online, self-reporting questionnaire was conducted in Ecuador from April to July 2022. Participants were invited by social media, radio, and TV to voluntarily participate in our study. A total of 2103 surveys were included in this study. We compared socio-demographic variables and long-term persisting symptoms at low (<2500 m) and high altitude (>2500 m). RESULTS Overall, 1100 (52.3%) responders claimed to have Long-COVID symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most of these were reported by women (64.0%); the most affected group was young adults between 21 to 40 years (68.5%), and most long-haulers were mestizos (91.6%). We found that high altitude residents were more likely to report persisting symptoms (71.7%) versus those living at lower altitudes (29.3%). The most common symptoms were fatigue or tiredness (8.4%), hair loss (5.1%) and difficulty concentrating (5.0%). The highest proportion of symptoms was observed in the group that received less than 2 doses. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study describing post-COVID symptoms' persistence in low and high-altitude residents. Our findings demonstrate that women, especially those aging between 21-40, are more likely to describe Long-COVID. We also found that living at a high altitude was associated with higher reports of mood changes, tachycardia, decreased libido, insomnia, and palpitations compared to lowlanders. Finally, we found a greater risk to report Long-COVID symptoms among women, those with previous comorbidities and those who had a severer acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan S. Izquierdo-Condoy
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito 170137, Ecuador
- Health Management and Research Area, Department of Health Sciences, Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Arecibo, PR 00613, USA
| | - Raul Fernandez-Naranjo
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito 170137, Ecuador
| | - Eduardo Vasconez-González
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito 170137, Ecuador
| | - Simone Cordovez
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito 170137, Ecuador
| | - Andrea Tello-De-la-Torre
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito 170137, Ecuador
| | - Clara Paz
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito 170137, Ecuador
| | - Karen Delgado-Moreira
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito 170137, Ecuador
| | - Sarah Carrington
- Lugar, Medio y Sociedad Research Group, School of Economics, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
| | - Ginés Viscor
- Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esteban Ortiz-Prado
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito 170137, Ecuador
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +593-995-760-693
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ortiz-Prado E, Izquierdo-Condoy JS, Fernandez-Naranjo R, Simbaña-Rivera K, Vásconez-González J, Naranjo EPL, Cordovez S, Coronel B, Delgado-Moreira K, Jimbo-Sotomayor R. A Comparative Analysis of a Self-Reported Adverse Events Analysis after Receiving One of the Available SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Schemes in Ecuador. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10071047. [PMID: 35891211 PMCID: PMC9323750 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10071047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of pressure on health systems worldwide. Mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 has reduced morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite their safety profiles, vaccines, as with any other medical product, can cause adverse events. Yet, in countries with poor epidemiological surveillance and monitoring systems, reporting vaccine-related adverse events is a challenge. The objective of this study was to describe self-reported vaccine adverse events after receiving one of the available COVID-19 vaccine schemes in Ecuador. A cross-sectional analysis based on an online, self-reported, 32-item questionnaire was conducted in Ecuador from 1 April to 15 July 2021. Participants were invited by social media, radio, and TV to voluntarily participate in our study. A total of 6654 participants were included in this study. Furthermore, 38.2% of the participants reported having at least one comorbidity. Patients received AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Sinovac vaccines, and these were distributed 38.4%, 31.1%, and 30.5%, respectively. Overall, pain or swelling at the injection site 17.2% (n = 4500) and headache 13.3% (n = 3502) were the most reported adverse events. Women addressed events supposedly attributable to vaccination or immunization [ESAVIs] (66.7%), more often than men (33.2%). After receiving the first dose of any available COVID-19 vaccine, a total of 19,501 self-reported ESAVIs were informed (87.0% were mild, 11.5% moderate, and 1.5% severe). In terms of the vaccine type and brand, the most reactogenic vaccine was AstraZeneca with 57.8%, followed by Pfizer (24.9%) and Sinovac (17.3%). After the second dose, 6776 self-reported ESAVIs were reported (87.1% mild, 10.9% moderate, and 2.1% severe). AstraZeneca vaccine users reported a higher proportion of ESAVIs (72.2%) in comparison to Pfizer/BioNTech (15.9%) and Sinovac Vaccine (11.9%). Swelling at the injection site, headache, muscle pain, and fatigue were the most common ESAVIs for the first as well as second doses. In conclusion, most ESAVIs were mild. AstraZeneca users were more likely to report adverse events. Participants without a history of COVID-19 infection, as well as those who received the first dose, were more prone to report ESAVIs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Ortiz-Prado
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170507, Ecuador; (J.S.I.-C.); (R.F.-N.); (K.S.-R.); (J.V.-G.); (S.C.); (B.C.); (K.D.-M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Juan S. Izquierdo-Condoy
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170507, Ecuador; (J.S.I.-C.); (R.F.-N.); (K.S.-R.); (J.V.-G.); (S.C.); (B.C.); (K.D.-M.)
- Health Management and Research Area, Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Campeche 24560, Mexico
| | - Raul Fernandez-Naranjo
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170507, Ecuador; (J.S.I.-C.); (R.F.-N.); (K.S.-R.); (J.V.-G.); (S.C.); (B.C.); (K.D.-M.)
| | - Katherine Simbaña-Rivera
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170507, Ecuador; (J.S.I.-C.); (R.F.-N.); (K.S.-R.); (J.V.-G.); (S.C.); (B.C.); (K.D.-M.)
| | - Jorge Vásconez-González
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170507, Ecuador; (J.S.I.-C.); (R.F.-N.); (K.S.-R.); (J.V.-G.); (S.C.); (B.C.); (K.D.-M.)
| | | | - Simone Cordovez
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170507, Ecuador; (J.S.I.-C.); (R.F.-N.); (K.S.-R.); (J.V.-G.); (S.C.); (B.C.); (K.D.-M.)
| | - Barbara Coronel
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170507, Ecuador; (J.S.I.-C.); (R.F.-N.); (K.S.-R.); (J.V.-G.); (S.C.); (B.C.); (K.D.-M.)
| | - Karen Delgado-Moreira
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170507, Ecuador; (J.S.I.-C.); (R.F.-N.); (K.S.-R.); (J.V.-G.); (S.C.); (B.C.); (K.D.-M.)
| | - Ruth Jimbo-Sotomayor
- Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina (CISeAL), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito 17012184, Ecuador;
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load Analysis at Low and High Altitude: A Case Study from Ecuador. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19137945. [PMID: 35805606 PMCID: PMC9265329 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19137945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has spread throughout the world, including remote areas such as those located at high altitudes. There is a debate about the role of hypobaric hypoxia on viral transmission and COVID-19 incidence. A descriptive cross-sectional analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and viral load among patients living at low (230 m) and high altitude (3800 m) in Ecuador was completed. Within these two communities, the total number of infected people at the time of the study was 108 cases (40.3%). The COVID-19 incidence proportion at low altitude was 64% while at high altitude was 30.3%. The mean viral load from those patients who tested positive was 3,499,184 copies/mL (SD = 23,931,479 copies/mL). At low altitude (Limoncocha), the average viral load was 140,223.8 copies/mL (SD = 990,840.9 copies/mL), while for the high altitude group (Oyacachi), the mean viral load was 6,394,789 copies/mL (SD = 32,493,469 copies/mL). We found no statistically significant differences when both results were compared (p = 0.056). We found no significant differences across people living at low or high altitude; however, men and younger populations had higher viral load than women older populations, respectively.
Collapse
|