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. 2024;24(14):1677-1685.
doi: 10.2174/1871530322666220811103755.

Serological Evidence and Self-reported Outcomes in Patients with Adrenal Insufficiency during the First Waves of COVID-19 in North-East Italy

Chiara Sabbadin  1 , Mor Peleg Falb  1 , Giacomo Voltan  1   2 , Irene Tizianel  1   2 , Andrea Padoan  2   3 , Corrado Betterle  2 , Daniela Basso  2   3 , Mario Plebani  2   3 , Mattia Barbot  1   2 , Carla Scaroni  1   2 , Filippo Ceccato  1   2
Affiliations

Serological Evidence and Self-reported Outcomes in Patients with Adrenal Insufficiency during the First Waves of COVID-19 in North-East Italy

Chiara Sabbadin et al. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2024.

Abstract

Objective: COVID-19 is a potentially serious new infection first reported in North East Italy in Spring, 2020. Patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI) have a known increased risk of infections that could precipitate to adrenal crisis. Even COVID-19-related psycho-social impact could affect their health, requiring a dynamic adaptation of daily glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of COVID-19 infection and self-reported outcomes in AI patients after the first pandemic waves.

Methods: It was an open-label, cross-sectional monocentric study on 84 (65 primary, 19 secondary) AI patients resident in Veneto and followed-up in our clinical Endocrine Unit. All patients underwent serological investigation of anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG, answered the purpose-built "ADDICOVID" questionnaire in August, 2020, and were re-contacted to reevaluate COVID-19 infection occurrence in March-April, 2021.

Results: All patients resulted negative to the serological test for anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG at the end of the first pandemic wave. After the third wave, COVID-19 infection occurred in 8 patients without the need for hospitalization. Half patients felt an increased risk of COVID-19 infection, significantly associated with increased stress and GC stress dose. Only one patient reported stress-correlated adrenal crisis. The majority of AI workers changed working habits, significantly reducing COVID- 19-related stress.

Conclusion: AI patients did not show an increased incidence of COVID-19, but the perception of increased COVID-19 infection risk significantly impacted their psychological well-being, working habits, and GC daily doses. Therapeutic patient education is crucial, especially for AI workers, to prevent and treat situations that could lead to an adrenal crisis.

Keywords: Adrenal insufficiency; COVID-19; IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2; cortisol response.; glucocorticoid therapy; stress.

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