Neurological
Racial variations result in COVID-19 an infection and dying charges
Researchers observed wide differences in the infection rate and clinical outcomes of Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) in black and Hispanic populations compared to white and Asian populations in New York City, New York. However, according to the results published on JAMA Network Open, Black and Hispanic populations are not naturally more susceptible to poor COVID-19 results compared to other groups.
Data from New York University’s Langone Health System, consisting of 260 outpatient departments and 4 acute care hospitals, were retrospectively analyzed for this study. Medical records of all patients tested for COVID-19 (N = 9722) between March 1 and April 8, 2020 were included.
Of the patients tested for COVID-19, 49.8% (n = 4843) tested positive and 54.2% (n = 2623) were hospitalized. Of the 2,623 hospitalized patients, 39.9% were white, 14.3% black, 27.3% Spanish, and 6.9% Asian. In this cohort of hospitalized patients, 36.3% experienced critical illness, 23.7% required mechanical ventilation, 23.8% were admitted to the intensive care unit, 24.7% died or were admitted to a hospice, and 70.8% were given dismiss.
Comorbid hypertension was higher in black populations (52.6%) than others (range 20.6-44.0%) and diabetes was lower in white populations (19.3%) than in black (28.7%) , Hispanic (28.9%), or Asian (Asian) populations. 26.4%) populations.
The risk of positive tests was increased for black (odds ratio) [OR]1.6; 95% CI, 1.4-1.8) and Hispanic (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.6-2.0) patients compared to white patients. After adjusting for age, gender, comorbidities, insurance status, and neighborhood, the risk remained in black (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.2-1.6) and Hispanic (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.3-1 , 7) patient increased. The risk of positive tests was reduced in Asian patients (OR 0.9; 95% CI 0.8-1.0).
After adjusting for all covariates, the results showed that the risk of hospitalization was similar in black (P = 0.23) and Hispanic (P = 0.90) patients compared to white patients, but increased in Asian patients (P = 0.004). .
The risk of critical illness was reduced in black patients (OR 0.6; 95% CI 0.4-0.8) compared to white patients. The risk of death was reduced in black patients (OR 0.7; 95% CI 0.6-0.9), but no difference was found in Hispanic patients (OR 1.0; 95% CI 0.8-1.2) , and the risk was increased in black patients Asian patients (OR 1.3; 95% CI 0.9-1.7).
This study may have been limited by only including data from one health network. Patients who test positive within this network may be admitted to another facility and would not have been included in this analysis.
These data showed that black and Hispanic individuals were not more prone to poor clinical outcomes from COVID-19, making it more likely that inequalities between populations affect ethnically specific COVID-19 infection and mortality rates. “[E]Existing structural determinants … that remain prevalent in black and Hispanic communities should be addressed to improve outcomes for COVID-19-related mortality, “the researchers concluded.
reference
Ogedegbe G., Ravenell J., Adhikari S. et al. Assessment of racial / ethnic differences in hospital stays and mortality among patients with Covid-19 in New York City. JAMA Netw Open. 2020; 3 (12): e2026881. doi: 10.1001 / jamanetworkopen.2020.26881.
This article originally appeared on Infectious Disease Advisor