This meta-analysis aimed to determine the prevalence, symptoms, and outcomes of COVID-19 in the elderly with Parkinson’s disease (PD) by searching in the international databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and EMBASE using the keywords of “COVID-19” and “Parkinson’s.” All articles related to Parkinson's disease and COVID-19 from January 2019 to October 20, 2021 were reviewed. The STATA software was used for analysis. A total of 20 articles were selected for data extraction in this meta-analysis, of which ten were cross-sectional studies (to determine the prevalence), five case–control studies, and five cohort studies (to examine the association). The results of the meta-analysis showed the prevalence of COVID-19 in patients with PD was 1.06% (95% CI 1.03–1.1%; P = 0.02), and the prevalence of their hospitalization due to COVID-19 was 0.98% (95% CI: 0.95–1.02%; P = 0.00). Also, the prevalence of depression and anxiety during the pandemic in this group was 46% (95% CI 29–64%; P = 0.00) and 43% (95% CI: 24–63%; P = 0.00), respectively. The prevalence of tremor and sleep problems were higher than those of other symptoms in the studied population. According to the results, there was no significant difference in the risk of COVID-19 infection between Parkinson's patients and healthy people. In other words, the risk of COVID-19 infection was equal in both groups (RR = 1.00 (CI 95% 0.77–1.30%; P = 0.15)). The results showed mortality and hospitalization rates of the elderly with Parkinson's disease were not significantly different from those of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and mental disorders increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, designing and developing more specific studies, like cohort studies, with large sample size is required for assessing these associations.

No abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most important issues after earthquakes. Following the Bam earthquake, much of the literature has documented the prevalence and correlates of PTSD, but no study has evaluated predominant typologies of PTSD in this population. The present study aims to investigate PTSD typologies among adults exposed to the Bam earthquake after 17 years. The data were collected 17 years after the 2003 Bam earthquake using multistage cluster sampling, in a historical cohort study. In total, 917 people participated in the study. Latent class analyses (LCA) were conducted to identify predominant typologies of PTSD symptoms and associated correlates. The LCA identified four meaningfully different classes that were characterized based on the PTSD items. The common profile was class 1 with 36.1% of the study population, which reported medium on “Re-experiencing” and “avoidance” items and high for “dysphoria” item. Also, the results showed significant differences for marital status, death relative, and age across the four classes of PTSD. The results indicated after 17 years of the Bam earthquake, people who were exposed to this earthquake were divided into subgroups based on the severity and prevalence of PTSD symptoms. These findings highlighted the existence of experimental subgroups of PTSD symptoms following an earthquake, which can help us find those who are most in need of mental health services and also which can find specific interventions for any subgroups.

Earthquake is associated with several health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and cardiovascular disease. However, the association between earthquakes and substance use has been less studied to date. We conducted a historical cohort study 17 years after the Bam earthquake by enrolling 818 households using multi-stage cluster sampling. The sample consisted of earthquake-exposed and non-exposed citizens. The ASSIST screening test was used to determine substance use. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of variables of interest with substance use. Nearly 60% of the study subjects were female and the mean ± SD age of the sample was 46.6 ± 11.5 years. The prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use in the exposed group was 19.5%, 24.9%, and 21.6%, respectively. The corresponding figures in the non-exposed group were 15.6%, 19.3%, and 20.1%, respectively (P > 0.05). The logistic regression model found no association between the history of earthquake exposure and the risk of any current drug use. Our results showed those 17 years after the Bam earthquake, there was no relationship between earthquake exposure and substance use.

Earthquake is associated with several health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and cardiovascular disease. However, the association between earthquake and substance use has been less studied to date. We conducted a historical cohort study 17 years after the Bam earthquake by enrolling 818 households using multi-stage cluster sampling. The sample consisted of earthquake-exposed and non-exposed citizens. ASSIST Screening Test was used to determine substance use. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of variables of interest with substance use. Nearly 60% of the study subjects were female and the mean ± SD age of the sample was 46.6±11.5 years. The prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs use in exposed group was 19.5%, 24.9%, and 21.6%, respectively. The corresponding figures in the non-exposed group were 15.6%, 19.3%, and 20.1%, respectively (P>0.05). The logistic regression model found no association between the history of earthquake exposure and risk of any current drug use. Our results showed those 17 years after the Bam earthquake, there was no relationship between earthquake exposure and substance use.