Background: Internationally, researchers have called for evidence to support tackling health inequalities during the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(COVID19) pandemic. UK Office for National Statistics data suggests that patients in regions of most deprived overall, generic Index of Multiple Deprivation Score(IMDS) are twice as likely to die of COVID19 than other causes. The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) report that BAME patients account for 34% of critically ill COVID19 patients nationally despite constituting 14% of the population. This paper is the first to explore the roles of social determinants of health, including specific IMDS sub-indices with indicators for household quality deprivation, household overcrowding deprivation and air pollution deprivation, as modulators of presentation, Intensive Care Unit(ITU) admission and outcomes among COVID19 patients of all ethnicities. Methods: An in-depth retrospective cohort study of 408 hospitalised COVID19 patients admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham was conducted. Quantitative data analyses including two-step cluster analyses were applied. Results: Patients admitted from highest living environment(LE) deprivation indices were at increased risk of presenting with multi-lobar pneumonia and, in turn, ITU admission whilst patients admitted from highest Barriers to Housing and Services(BHS) deprivation indices were at increased risk of ITU admission. Admission to ITU significantly increased the risk of death. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic(BAME) patients were more likely, than white patients, to present with multi-lobar pneumonia, be admitted to ITU and be admitted from highest BHS and LE deprivation indices. Comorbidities and frailty significantly increased the risk of death among COVID19 patients irrespective of deprivation.Conclusions: Air pollution and housing quality deprivation are potential modulators of presentation with multi-lobar pneumonia. Household overcrowding deprivation and presentation with multi-lobar pneumonia are potential modulators of ITU admission. Patents of BAME ethnicity are more likely to be admitted from regions of highest air pollution, housing quality and household overcrowding deprivation; this is likely to contribute an explanation towards the higher ITU admissions reported among COVID19 BAME patients. These findings have urgent implications for supporting front line clinical decisions, disseminating practical advice around applying social distancing messages at the household level and informing wider pandemic strategy.
MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, demographics, medication and spirometry were prospectively recorded from patients attending a secondary care asthma clinic who were also genotyped and completed the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ-6). Results A total of 223 patients prescribed ICS were included in the analysis. Overall mean age was 46 years, FEV 1 86%, median ICS dose 800 mg/day and 73% were prescribed LABA. There were no differences in terms of spirometry and ACQ-6 between the three genotypes (Table 1). In patients who were prescribed LABA there was no difference in ACQ-6 comparing patients with no Arg copies (n = 80, ACQ-6 1.82) versus those with one or two Arg copies (n = 83, ACQ-6 1.70). Moreover salbutamol reliever use was no different. Conclusion Gly16Arg polymorphism was not associated with impaired asthma control in ICS treated adult asthmatics irrespective of LABA exposure.
REFERENCES1 Basu K, Palmer CN, Tavendale R, Lipworth BJ, Mukhopadhyay S. Adrenergic beta (2)-receptor genotype predisposes to exacerbations in steroid-treated asthmatic patients taking frequent albuterol or salmeterol.
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