COVID-19 and Preexisting Comorbidities: Risks, Synergies, and Clinical Outcomes

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated symptoms, named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have rapidly spread worldwide, resulting in the declaration of a pandemic. When several countries began enacting quarantine and lockdown policies, the pandemic as it is now known truly began. While most patients have minimal symptoms, approximately 20% of verified subjects are suffering from serious medical consequences. Co-existing diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and others, have been shown to make patients more vulnerable to severe outcomes from COVID-19 by modulating host–viral interactions and immune responses, causing severe infection and mortality. In this review, we outline the putative signaling pathways at the interface of COVID-19 and several diseases, emphasizing the clinical and molecular implications of concurring diseases in COVID-19 clinical outcomes. As evidence is limited on co-existing diseases and COVID-19, most findings are preliminary, and further research is required for optimal management of patients with comorbidities.

Clinical characteristics of patients infected with novel coronavirus wild strain, Delta variant strain and Omicron variant strain in Quanzhou: A real‑world study

“…Novel coronavirus pneumonia [coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19)] has rapidly spread in various countries worldwide since its emergence in December 2019 and has now become a major global public health problem (1). The novel coronavirus [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)] has evolved to produce variant strains with variable transmissibility and virulence, such as Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) (WHO.…”

Comorbidities and covid-19

“…Evidence is more limited for other conditions such as overweight, sickle cell disease, and substance use disorders and inconsistent for asthma, hypertension, and viral hepatitis. Although the exact mechanisms by which pre-existing conditions influence disease susceptibility and severity are not known, inflammatory and hormonal pathways are postulated,5 as well as social factors such as living in crowded or institutionalised settings 6…”

Role of Demyelination in the Persistence of Neurological and Mental Impairments after COVID-19

“…Among the comorbidities that increase the severity of COVID-19 are many diseases that are closely related to disorders of the immune system. Patients with autoimmune diseases are known to be more vulnerable to severe outcomes from COVID-19 [ 130 ]. In addition, modulation of the immune response has been shown to be one of the mechanisms responsible for the severe acute phase and increased mortality in comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic hepatitis B, and chronic kidney disease [ 130 , 131 ].…”