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. 2023 Aug;46(8):1711-1715.
doi: 10.1007/s40618-023-02016-4. Epub 2023 Jan 28.

Epidemiology, course, and outcomes of Sars-CoV-2 infection in patients with acromegaly and Cushing's disease: a monocentric experience in Southern Italy

M Ragonese #  1 , G Giuffrida #  1 , Y Alessi  2 , A Giandalia  3 , S Giovinazzo  1 , O R Cotta  2 , R Certo  2 , R Casablanca  2 , F Ferraù #  4   5 , S Cannavò #  1   2
Affiliations

Epidemiology, course, and outcomes of Sars-CoV-2 infection in patients with acromegaly and Cushing's disease: a monocentric experience in Southern Italy

M Ragonese et al. J Endocrinol Invest. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: Acromegaly (AC) and Cushing's disease (CD) increase morbidity and mortality due to cardio-metabolic alterations, and overall cause frailty in the affected patients, potentially making them more susceptible to infective diseases. However, up to now, very few studies evaluated the course of COVID-19 disease in this setting.

Methods: We investigated epidemiology, course, and outcomes of COVID-19 disease in patients with AC or CD, managed in the Endocrine Unit of a Sicilian University Hospital during 2 years of pandemic outbreak.

Results: We enrolled 136 patients with AC or CD (74 and 62 cases, respectively, 39 males) from Sicily and Calabria regions. Incidence of Sars-CoV-2 infection in these subjects was lower than in the general population, becoming quite similar after vaccines introduction (11%). No difference was observed concerning prevalence. Mean age of infected patients (IPs) was significantly lower than the unaffected ones (p < 0.02). No differences were found for sex, BMI, disease control, occurrence of diabetes mellitus, OSAS, cardiomyopathy, and hypopituitarism. The rate of IPs was similar in AC and CD patients' groups. None of them died.

Conclusions: In conclusion, we did not find a significantly different incidence of Sars-CoV-2 infection in AC or CD patients compared to the general population. IPs were younger than the unaffected patients, but sex, BMI, or diabetes mellitus were not risk factors for infection/worse outcomes. Nevertheless, these results could have been biased by a safer behavior probably adopted by older and more complicated patients.

Keywords: Acromegaly; COVID-19; Comorbidities; Cushing’s disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Regarding conflict-of-interest disclosure, FF is a member of the Journal Editorial Board. The paper has been supported by the following grant (Progetto Rilevante di Interesse Nazionale, PRIN 2017): identification of new biomarkers and clinical determinants for management improvement of patients with pituitary tumor related syndromes (code: PRIN 2017S55RXB) of the Italian Government.

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