Influence of chronic liver diseases on the course and outcome of COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health problem. The impact of chronic liver diseases on the course and outcome of COVID-19 is still the subject of research. The aim of this study was to show the characteristics of COVID-19 patients with chronic liver diseases, and to establish the risk factors for unfavourable outcome. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted at the Infectious Disease Clinic in Belgrade, Serbia, and included 80 patients with chronic liver diseases and COVID-19 within a time frame of two years (between 15 March 2020 and 15 March 2022). Characteristics of the affected persons, as well as the risk factors for a fatal outcome, were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 80 subjects in the study, 23.8% had chronic viral hepatitis, 12.5% autoimmune liver diseases and alcoholic liver disease respectively, 30% had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, while 11.2% had chronic liver diseases of unknown aetiology. A total of 33.7% had cirrhosis, 6.3% hepatocellular carcinoma and 5% had liver transplants. A total of 92.5% of respondents had pneumonia (21.2% were critically ill). A deterioration of chronic liver disease was registered among 33.7% of patients, and decompensation in 3.8%; 76.3% patients recovered, while 23.7% had a lethal outcome. Risk factors for lethal outcome by univariate analysis were: alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, increased transaminases values prior to COVID-19, malignancy, severe pneumonia and dyspnea. In a multivariate analysis, the presence of liver cirrhosis (OR = 69.1, p = 0.001) and severe pneumonia (OR = 22.3, p = 0.006) remained independently predictive for lethal outcome. CONCLUSION: These findings will help with the evaluation of COVID-19 patients who have chronic liver diseases and will improve their risk stratification.

Validation of the fear of COVID-19 scale in a central Balkan country - Serbia.

Validation of the fear of introduction: High levels of fear of COVID-19 may be associated with increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as decreased resilience and life expectancy. Objective: This study aimed to translate and confirm the Serbian version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale as well as to investigate its psychometric properties. Methods: The translation and intercultural adaptation of the Fear of COVID-19 scale was performed by the leading standard of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcome Research. When the distribution was normal, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used. The reliability of the Serbian version of FCV-19S was tested by measuring the internal consistency through the value of Cronbach's alpha. Results: The original version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale was tested on a sample of 256 subjects with a mean age of 25.38 ± 12.47. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.864. We divided the scale by the split-half method (Spearman-Brown), and the value of the coefficient for the questionnaire as a whole was 0.882. Divergent criterion validity was tested through the non-parametric correlation between the scores of the Fear of COVID-19 scale and the Fear of Hospitalization scale. A score of the Fear of COVID-19 scale was calculated as the sum of each question for each of the respondents. Convergent criterion validity was tested through the non-parametric correlation between the scores of the Fear of COVID-19 scale and the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire. Conclusion: The validated version of the scale in Serbia complements versions available in other cultures and other languages and facilitates global studies related to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.