Why METH users are at high risk of fatality due to COVID-19 infection?

Hossain, Kamal; Hassanzadeganroudsari, Majid; Apostolopoulos, Vasso

doi:10.1080/14760584.2020.1858059

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The results of this study revealed strikingly similar high rates of medical and psychiatric comorbidities, as well as similar rates of severe COVID-19 illness as evident by ICU admission, in-hospital delirium, and post-hospitalization mortality rates in current METH, cannabis, and alcohol users. People who use psychoactive substances in general are less likely to have reliable access to care and often present with more advanced illnesses (Hossain et al 2020 ). Therefore, our study provides a realistic snapshot of these patients compared to large-scale epidemiological studies that rely on health insurance or other national data sets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No difference in COVID-19 treatment outcomes among current methamphetamine, cannabis and alcohol users

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Poor outcomes of COVID-19 have been reported in older males with medical comorbidities including substance use disorder. However, it is unknown whether there is a difference in COVID-19 treatment outcomes between patients who are current cannabis users, excessive alcohol drinkers and those who use a known hazardous stimulant such as methamphetamine (METH). Methods Electronic medical records (EMR) of COVID-19 patients with current METH (n = 32), cannabis (n = 46), and heavy alcohol use (n = 44) were reviewed. COVID-19 infection was confirmed by positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test, current drug use was confirmed by positive urine drug testing, and alcohol use was identified by a blood alcohol concentration greater than 11 mg/dl. Multivariate linear regression models as well as the firth logistic regression models were used to examine the effect of substance use group (METH, cannabis, or alcohol) on treatment outcome measures. Results A total of 122 patients were included in this analysis. There were no significant differences found between drug groups in regards to key SARS-CoV-2 outcomes of interest including ICU admission, length of stay, interval between SARS-CoV-2 positive test and hospital discharge, delirium, intubation and mortality after adjusting for covariates. About one-fifth (21.9% in METH users, 15.2% in cannabis users, and 20.5% in alcohol users) of all patients required ICU admission. As many as 37.5% of METH users, 23.9% of cannabis users, and 29.5% of alcohol users developed delirium (P = 0.4). There were no significant differences between drug groups in COVID-19 specific medication requirements. Eight patients in total died within 10 months of positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Two patients from the METH group (6.3%), two patients from the cannabis group (4.3%), and four patients from the alcohol group (9.1%) died. Discussion The study outcomes may have been affected by several limitations. These included the methodology of its retrospective design, relatively small sample size, and the absence of a COVID-19 negative control group. In addition, there was no quantification of substance use and many covariates relied on clinical documentation or patient self-report. Finally, it was difficult to control for all potential confounders particularly given the small sample size. Conclusion Despite these limitations, our results show that current METH, cannabis, and heavy alcohol users in this study have similar treatment outcomes and suffer from high morbidity including in-hospital delirium and high mortality rates within the first-year post COVID-19. The extent to which co-morbid tobacco smoking contributed to the negative outcomes in METH, cannabis, and alcohol users remains to be investigated.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No difference in COVID-19 treatment outcomes among current methamphetamine, cannabis and alcohol users

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…METH is a member of the amphetamine class of drugs, a group of highly addictive synthetic psychoactive stimulants that cause neurotoxic effects in the CNS [ 97 ]. In recent years, METH use has increased dramatically, becoming a serious public health problem worldwide [ 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 ]. Currently available treatments for METH addiction and its neuropsychiatric disorders are inadequate and associated with many side effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methamphetamine Induces Systemic Inflammation and Anxiety: The Role of the Gut–Immune–Brain Axis

Davidson

Mayer

Habib

et al. 2022

IJMS

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive drug abused by millions of users worldwide, thus becoming a global health concern with limited management options. The inefficiency of existing treatment methods has driven research into understanding the mechanisms underlying METH-induced disorders and finding effective treatments. This study aims to understand the complex interactions of the gastrointestinal–immune–nervous systems following an acute METH dose administration as one of the potential underlying molecular mechanisms concentrating on the impact of METH abuse on gut permeability. Findings showed a decreased expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and EpCAm in intestinal tissue and the presence of FABP-1 in sera of METH treated mice suggests intestinal wall disruption. The increased presence of CD45+ immune cells in the intestinal wall further confirms gut wall inflammation/disruption. In the brain, the expression of inflammatory markers Ccl2, Cxcl1, IL-1β, TMEM119, and the presence of albumin were higher in METH mice compared to shams, suggesting METH-induced blood–brain barrier disruption. In the spleen, cellular and gene changes are also noted. In addition, mice treated with an acute dose of METH showed anxious behavior in dark and light, open field, and elevated maze tests compared to sham controls. The findings on METH-induced inflammation and anxiety may provide opportunities to develop effective treatments for METH addiction in the future.

show abstract

“…Although Rappouli et al [3] reported that the development of a human vaccine could take at least 15 years and at least USD 200 million, an alliance of the science society has now achieved this [4]. Besides the hesitation on the authenticity and reported side-effects in a small proportion of people of approved vaccines [141,142], the worldwide vaccination is time consuming, as well as public health being in danger from current virus mutations, which can lead to a prolonged pandemic leading towards a difficult situation [143]. In this rapidly evolving crisis, drug repurposing is considered the quickest way to identify potential drug treatments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computational Chemistry to Repurposing Drugs for the Control of COVID-19

Hassanzadeganroudsari

Ahmadi

Rashidi

et al. 2021

Biologics

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Thus far, in 2021, 219 countries with over 175 million people have been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus, and is the causal agent for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Due to the urgency of the situation, virtual screening as a computational modeling method offers a fast and effective modality of identifying drugs that may be effective against SARS-CoV-2. There has been an overwhelming abundance of molecular docking against SARS-CoV-2 in the last year. Due to the massive volume of computational studies, this systematic review has been created to evaluate and summarize the findings of existing studies. Herein, we report on computational articles of drugs which target, (1) viral protease, (2) Spike protein-ACE 2 interaction, (3) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and (4) other proteins and nonstructural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Based on the studies presented, there are 55 identified natural or drug compounds with potential anti-viral activity. The next step is to show anti-viral activity in vitro and translation to determine effectiveness into human clinical trials.

show abstract

Why METH users are at high risk of fatality due to COVID-19 infection?

Cited by 15 publications

References 17 publications

No difference in COVID-19 treatment outcomes among current methamphetamine, cannabis and alcohol users

No difference in COVID-19 treatment outcomes among current methamphetamine, cannabis and alcohol users

Methamphetamine Induces Systemic Inflammation and Anxiety: The Role of the Gut–Immune–Brain Axis

Computational Chemistry to Repurposing Drugs for the Control of COVID-19

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About