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. 2024 Dec 19;24(1):1448.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-10305-3.

Characteristics and outcomes of in-hospital patients with Covid-19 and history of tuberculosis: a matched case-control from the Brazilian Covid-19 Registry

Rafael Lima Rodrigues de Carvalho  1   2 , Daniella Nunes Pereira  3 , Victor Schulthais Chagas  4   5 , Valéria Maria Augusto  6 , Felício Roberto Costa  7 , Guilherme Fagundes Nascimento  8 , Karen Brasil Ruschel  9   10 , Leila Beltrami Moreira  11 , Marcelo Carneiro  12 , Milton Henriques Guimarães Júnior  13 , Mônica Aparecida Costa  14 , Naiara Patrícia Fagundes Bonardi  15 , Neimy Ramos de Oliveira  16 , Rubia Laura Oliveira Aguiar  17 , Raíssa de Melo Costa  4   6 , Magda Carvalho Pires  18 , Milena Soriano Marcolino  9   4   6
Affiliations

Characteristics and outcomes of in-hospital patients with Covid-19 and history of tuberculosis: a matched case-control from the Brazilian Covid-19 Registry

Rafael Lima Rodrigues de Carvalho et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic caused a negative impact on other infectious diseases control, prevention, and treatment. Consequently, low and middle-income countries suffer from other endemic diseases, such as tuberculosis. This study was designed to compare Covid-19 manifestations and outcomes between patients with previously treated tuberculosis and controls without this condition.

Methods: We performed a matched case-control study drawn from the Brazilian Covid-19 Registry data, including in-hospital patients aged 18 and over with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 from March 1, 2020, to March 31, 2022. Cases were patients with a past history of tuberculosis. Controls were Covid-19 patients without a tuberculosis history. Patients were matched by hospital, sex, presence of HIV, and number of comorbidities, with a 1:4 ratio.

Results: Of 13,636 patients with laboratory-confirmed diagnoses of Covid-19 enrolled in this study, 80 had a history of tuberculosis. Statistical differences in history of chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (15% vs. 3.2%), psychiatric disease (10% vs. 3.5%,), chronic kidney disease (11.2% vs. 2.8%), and solid-organ transplantation; (5% vs. 0.9%, p < 0.05 for all) were higher in patients with a past history of tuberculosis. Prior use of inhalatory medications (5% vs. 0.6%,), oral corticoids (8.8% vs. 1.9%), immunosuppressants (8.8% vs. 1.9%,) and the use of illicit drugs were more common in the case group (6.2% vs. 0.3% p < 0.05for all). There were no significant differences in in-hospital mortality, mechanical ventilation, need for dialysis, and ICU admission.

Conclusions: Patients with a history of tuberculosis infection presented a higher frequency of use of illicit drugs, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, psychiatric disease, chronic kidney disease, solid-organ transplantation, prior use of inhalatory medications, oral corticoids, and immunosuppressants. The outcomes were similar between cases and controls.

Keywords: Covid-19; Hospitalization; Infectious diseases; Tuberculosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Brazilian National Commission for Research Ethics (CAAE 30350820.5.1001.0008) and had internal approval of ethics boards from each hospital. Individual informed consent was waived due to the severity of the situation, and we de-identify the data collected. Consent for publication: All authors approved the manuscript before submission. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of Covid-19 Patients included in the study. TB: tuberculosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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