Baseline socioeconomic status predicting post-COVID-19 symptoms: Results from Isfahan COVID Cohort (ICC) study.

Objectives: Patients experience complications following their recovery from COVID-19, known as post-COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate the association between baseline socioeconomic status (SES) and post-COVID-19 symptoms among hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. Methods: In the study, we used data from the Isfahan COVID Cohort (ICC) study, a 5-year longitudinal cohort study started from March 10, 2020. SES was measured using short form of SES questionnaire (SES-SQ), consisting of employment status, house room number, the number of trips taken, and using notebooks, laptop, or tablet in the house. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to examine the association between baseline SES and post-COVID-19 symptoms including general, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Out of the 3912 patients included in the study, 66.4 % reported post-COVID-19 symptoms. There was an association between low SES and increased risk of post-COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms in the whole population (HR = 1.15; 95 CI, 1.01-1.31, p = 0.039). Considering the hospitalization status revealed that hospitalized patients with low SES had a higher risk of experiencing post-COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms (HR = 1.96; 95 CI, 1.23-3.12, p = 0.004), while in non-hospitalized, low SES patients a lower risk was observed (HR = 0.82; 95 CI, 0.70-0.97, p = 0.017). No significant association was found between SES and other post-COVID-19 symptoms including general and respiratory symptoms. Conclusions: We concluded an association between higher SES and increased post-COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms. Low SES was associated with higher risk of post-COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms in hospitalized patients, while in non-hospitalized, it was associated with a lower risk.

The relationship between fermented and nonfermented dairy products consumption and hypertension among premature coronary artery disease patients: Iran premature coronary artery disease study.

Dairy products may affect hypertension (HTN) risk. The aim of this study was to examine the association between fermented and nonfermented dairy foods and HTN in a sample of premature coronary artery disease (PCAD) subjects. This cross-sectional study was performed on 1854 PCAD patients. A 110-item food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intakes. HTN was considered if systolic blood pressure was 140 mmHg and higher and/or diastolic blood pressure was 90 mmHg and higher. The odds ratio of HTN across the quartiles of different types of dairy products was evaluated by binary logistic regression. The mean (SD) of dairy products consumption was 339.8 (223.5) g/day, of which 285.4 g/day was fermented dairy products. In the crude model, participants in the fourth quartile of fermented dairy products had lesser risk of HTN compared to the bottom quartile (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.52, 0.96; p for trend = .058). However, after considering the possible confounders, the significance disappeared. Subjects in the top quartile of high-fat fermented dairy products had 34% lower risk for HTN compared to the bottom quartile (95% CI: 0.49, 0.88; p for trend < .001). Adjustment for potential risk factors weakened the association but remained significant (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.53, 1.01; p for trend = .001). Nonsignificant relation was detected between low-fat fermented, low-fat nonfermented, and high-fat nonfermented dairy products and HTN. Moderate consumption of high-fat fermented dairy products, in a population with low consumption of dairy foods, might relate to reduced likelihood of HTN.

Association of obesity and the clinical course of hospitalised COVID-19 survivors.

Obesity is a risk factor for chronic inflammation and severe pulmonary infections. This study aimed to assess the association between obesity and the clinical courses of hospitalised COVID-19 survivors. This cross-sectional study used the Isfahan COVID Cohort (ICC) baseline data. The ICC is an ongoing, 5-year prospective, longitudinal cohort study conducted on hospitalised COVID-19 survivors in affiliated hospitals of the Medical University of Isfahan (MUI), Iran. Patients aged 19 and over throughout Isfahan County were recruited using a consecutive sampling method 1 month after discharge. Demographic and basic characteristics, symptoms and clinical features of these patients were collected and analysed. A total of 3843 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 were included in this study. Regarding the body mass index classification in the general obesity group, the patients with overweight and obesity had more extended hospitalisation and a higher frequency of low O2 saturation compared to the normal weight patients, and the highest frequency of low O2 saturation and more extended hospitalisation was observed in patients with obesity (5.9 ± 3.8 vs. 6.8 ± 5.4 vs. 7.1 ± 5.3, respectively; p = .001 and 59% vs. 64.5% vs. 65.5%; p < .001). Furthermore, individuals with abdominal obesity had a significantly longer duration of hospitalisation compared to the non-abdominal obesity group (6.3 ± 4.6 vs. 7.0 ± 5.3; p < .001). In the fully adjusted model, a significant association was observed between abdominal obesity and an increased occurrence of low oxygen saturation compared to general obesity (odds ratio: 1.25, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.44). Obesity was associated with more extended hospitalisation and hypoxia in patients with COVID-19. However, no significant relationship was found between obesity and other clinical courses.

The relationship between ultra processed food consumption and premature coronary artery disease: Iran premature coronary artery disease study (IPAD).

Background: Ultra-processed foods (UPF) consumption may affect the risk of PCAD through affecting cardio metabolic risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate the association between UPFs consumption and premature coronary artery disease (PCAD). Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 2,354 Iranian adults (≥ 19 years). Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 110-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and foods were classified based on the NOVA system, which groups all foods according to the nature, extent and purposes of the industrial processes they undergo. PCAD was defined as having an stenosis of at least single coronary artery equal and above 75% or left main coronary of equal or more than 50% in women less than 70 and men less than 60 years, determined by angiography. The odds of PCAD across the tertiles of UPFs consumption were assessed by binary logistic regression. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, participants in the top tertile of UPFs were twice as likely to have PCAD compared with those in the bottom tertile (OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.97-3.23). Moreover, those in the highest tertile of the UPFs consumption had more than two times higher risk for having severe PCAD than those in the first tertile (OR: 2.64; 95% CI: 2.16-3.22). In addition, there was a significant upward trend in PCAD risk and PCAD severity as tertiles increased (P-trend < 0.001 for all models). Conclusion: Higher consumption of UPFs was related to increased risk of PCAD and higher chance of having severe PCAD in Iranian adults. Although, future cohort studies are needed to confirm the results of this study, these findings indicated the necessity of reducing UPFs intake.