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Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1871-5303
ISSN (Online): 2212-3873

Research Article

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

Author(s): Chiara Sabbadin*, Mor Peleg Falb, Giacomo Voltan, Irene Tizianel, Andrea Padoan, Corrado Betterle, Daniela Basso, Mario Plebani, Mattia Barbot, Carla Scaroni and Filippo Ceccato
(E-pub Abstract Ahead of Print)

DOI: 10.2174/1871530322666220811103755

Price: $95

Abstract

Objective: COVID-19 is a potentially serious new infection firstly broken out in the North East Italy during 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: Open-label, cross-sectional monocentric study on 84 (65 primary, 19 secondary) AI patients, resident in Veneto and followed-up in our out clinical of Endocrine Unit. All patients underwent serological investigation of anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG and purpose-built “ADDI-COVID” questionnaire by August 2020 and were recontacted 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 need of hospitalization. Half patients felt an increased risk of COVID-19 infection, significantly associated with increased stress and GC stress-dose. Only one patient reported adrenal crisis stress-correlated. 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 impacts 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, IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Stress, Glucocorticoid therapy


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