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Background: On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) a pandemic. Nearly five million individuals have since been diagnosed with this increasingly common and potentially lethal viral infection. Emerging evidence suggests a disproportionate burden of illness and death among minority communities. We aimed to evaluate the effect of ethnicity on outcomes among patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Northern Nevada. Design: Single-center, retrospective observational study Materials and methods: The electronic health records of 172 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were obtained from a 946-bed tertiary referral center serving Northern Nevada. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared by ethnic group (Hispanic versus non-Hispanic). Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of mortality. Results: Among 172 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 12th and May 8th, 2020, 87 (50.6%) identified as Hispanic and 81 (47.1%) as non-Hispanic. The mean age was 46.0 among Hispanics and 55.8 among non-Hispanics. Comorbidities linked to increased COVID-19-related mortality - hypertension, obesity, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - were more common among the non-Hispanic population. Hispanic individuals were significantly more likely to be uninsured and to live in low-income communities as compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts (27.6% versus 8.2% and 52.9% versus 30.6%, respectively). Hispanic patients were also less likely than non-Hispanics to have a primary care provider (42.5% versus 61.2%). However, mortality was significantly higher among the non-Hispanic population (15.3% versus 5.8%). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Hispanic individuals in Northern Nevada, who account for only 25.7% of the population but over half of the confirmed cases. Hispanic individuals were younger and had fewer comorbidities than their non-Hispanic counterparts; consequently, despite considerable socioeconomic disadvantage, mortality was lower among the Hispanic population. The underlying causes of ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence remain to be established, but further investigation may lead to more effective community- and systems-based interventions.

Background On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) a pandemic. Nearly five million individuals have since been diagnosed with this increasingly common and potentially lethal viral infection. Emerging evidence suggests a disproportionate burden of illness and death among minority communities. We aimed to evaluate the effect of ethnicity on outcomes among patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Northern Nevada. Methods The electronic health records of 172 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were obtained from a 946-bed tertiary referral center serving Northern Nevada. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared by ethnic group (Hispanic versus non-Hispanic). Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of mortality. Results Among 172 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 12 and May 8, 2020, 87 (50.6%) identified as Hispanic and 81 (47.1%) as non-Hispanic. Hispanic individuals were significantly more likely to be uninsured and to live in low-income communities as compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts (27.6% versus 8.2% and 52.9% versus 30.6%, respectively). Hispanic patients were also less likely than non-Hispanics to have a primary care provider (42.5% versus 61.2%). However, mortality was significantly higher among the non-Hispanic population (15.3% versus 5.8%). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Hispanic individuals in Northern Nevada, who account for only 25.7% of the population but over half of the confirmed cases. The underlying causes of ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence remain to be established, but further investigation may lead to more effective community- and systems-based interventions.

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Caffeine is the world's most widely used psychoactive legal substance. The involvement of caffeine in pain management has gotten minimal attention in the past, but it is getting more attention now. This article provides a brief assessment of the literature to clarify the role of caffeine as a pain reliever and stimulate the interest of researchers. Caffeine affects adenosine receptors, which are involved in nociception, and plays a significant role in pain regulation. Caffeine's usage as an adjuvant therapy has been extensively documented in the literature, and it is now accessible in certain over-the-counter drugs. The mixture of coffee and morphine for pain reduction in individuals with terminal cancer has shown mixed outcomes in studies. Caffeine can be utilized for hypnic headaches and post-dural puncture headaches since it is crucial in pain regulation. Caffeine has the potential to help in pain management. Caffeine's usage for migraines and end-stage cancer disease is not well acknowledged. Further research is essential to focus on caffeine's potential role in various forms of pain, including dosage escalation and outcome assessment standardization.