Prevalence of comorbid asthma in Tunisian patients with COVID-19: clinical features and outcomes

Imen Ben Rebeh; Marwa Gargouri; Marwa Ghariani; Nesrine Kallel; Sana Rouis; Wafa Marrakchi; Dhekra Chebil; Riadh Ben Marzoug; Hela Gargouri; Latifa Merzougui; Houda Ghorbel; Mohamed Chakroun; Hassen Hadj Kacem; Ahmed Rebai

doi:10.3855/jidc.17485

Prevalence of comorbid asthma in Tunisian patients with COVID-19: clinical features and outcomes

Authors

Imen Ben Rebeh Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
Marwa Gargouri Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Mohamed Sassi, Gabes, Tunisia
Marwa Ghariani Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1347-3547
Nesrine Kallel Department of Pneumology, CHU Hedi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisia
Sana Rouis COVID Unit, Ibn Jazzar Kairouan Hospital, Kairouan, Tunisia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2858-5314
Wafa Marrakchi Department of Infectious Diseases, CHU Fattouma Bourguiba, Monastir, Tunisia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0634-9188
Dhekra Chebil Department of Preventive Medicine, Hospital Ibn Jazzar, Kairouan, Tunisia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7918-8568
Riadh Ben Marzoug Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2184-6323
Hela Gargouri Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3275-1816
Latifa Merzougui Department of Preventive Medicine, Hospital Ibn Jazzar, Kairouan, Tunisia
Houda Ghorbel Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Mohamed Sassi, Gabes, Tunisia
Mohamed Chakroun Department of Infectious Diseases, CHU Fattouma Bourguiba, Monastir, Tunisia
Hassen Hadj Kacem Department of Applied Biology, College of Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1884-2973
Ahmed Rebai Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.17485

Keywords:

COVID-19, asthma, severity, comorbidity

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in around 1 million COVID-19 infection cases and over 29,000 deaths in Tunisia thus far. There is great variability in the prevalence of asthma among patients with COVID-19, but the impact of asthma on patients with COVID-19 is not clear. We sought to describe the clinical features of Tunisian patients with COVID-19 and to compare asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients.

Methodology: This retrospective study included 675 Tunisian patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19. Clinical characteristics were collected from medical records. Bivariate analyses and multivariate regression models were used to assess the associations between asthma and the risk of severe symptoms, including death/recovery.

Results: The prevalence of asthma in the sample was 14.5%. The results show that asthmatic patients with COVID-19 have significantly less severe symptoms and better outcomes than non-asthmatic patients.

Conclusions: Asthma was not found to be associated with higher severity or worse prognosis among patients with COVID-19 in Tunisia.

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Published

2023-12-31

How to Cite

Ben Rebeh I, Gargouri M, Ghariani M, Kallel N, Rouis S, Marrakchi W, Chebil D, Ben Marzoug R, Gargouri H, Merzougui L, Ghorbel H, Chakroun M, Hadj Kacem H, Rebai A (2023) Prevalence of comorbid asthma in Tunisian patients with COVID-19: clinical features and outcomes. J Infect Dev Ctries 17:1706–1713. doi: 10.3855/jidc.17485

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Issue

Vol. 17 No. 12: December 2023

Section

Coronavirus Pandemic

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Copyright (c) 2023 Imen Ben Rebeh, Marwa Gargouri, Marwa Ghariani, Nesrine Kallel, Sana Rouis, Wafa Marrakchi, Dhekra Chebil, Riadh Ben Marzoug, Hela Gargouri, Latifa Merzougui, Houda Ghorbel, Mohamed Chakroun, Hassen Hadj Kacem, Ahmed Rebai

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