A prospective longitudinal study of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis in pulmonary tuberculosis in Indonesia (APICAL).

OBJECTIVES: Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) can complicate recovery from pulmonary TB. CPA may also be misdiagnosed as bacteriologically negative TB. This study aimed to determine the incidence of CPA in patients treated for TB in Indonesia, a country with a high incidence of TB. METHODS: In this prospective, longitudinal cohort study in patients treated for pulmonary TB, clinical, radiological and laboratory findings were analysed. Sputum was collected for fungal culture and TB PCR. Patients were assessed at baseline (0-8 weeks) and at the end (5-6 months) of TB therapy. CPA diagnosis was based on symptoms (≥3 months), characteristic radiological features and positive Aspergillus serology, and categorised as proven, probable and possible. RESULTS: Of the 216 patients recruited, 128 (59%) were followed up until end of TB therapy. At baseline, 91 (42%) had microbiological evidence for TB. Aspergillus-specific IgG was positive in 64 (30%) patients and went from negative to positive in 16 (13%) patients during TB therapy. The incidence rates of proven and probable CPA at baseline were 6% (n=12) and 2% (n=5) and end of TB therapy 8% (n=10) and 5% (n=7), respectively. Six patients (two with confirmed TB) developed an aspergilloma. Diabetes mellitus was a significant risk factor for CPA (p=0.040). Persistent cough (n=5, 50%; p=0.005) and fatigue (n=6, 60%; p=0.001) were the most common symptoms in CPA. CONCLUSION: CPA should be considered a relatively frequent differential diagnosis in patients with possible or proven TB in Indonesia. Lack of awareness and limited access to Aspergillus-specific IgG tests and CT imaging are obstacles in establishing a CPA diagnosis.

Prognostic Scoring System for Mortality of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Resource-Limited Settings: A Multicenter Study from COVID-19 Referral Hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Many studies identified the risk factors and prognostic factors related to in-hospital COVID-19 mortality using sophisticated laboratory tests. Cost and the availability of supporting blood tests may be problematic in resource-limited settings. This multicenter cohort study was conducted to assess the factors associated with mortality of COVID-19 patients aged 18 years and older, based on history taking, physical examination, and simple blood tests to be used in resource-limited settings. METHODS: The study was conducted between July 2020 and January 2021 in five COVID-19 referral hospitals in Indonesia. Among 1048 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 160 (15%) died during hospitalization. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed eight predictors of in-hospital mortality, namely increased age, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, fatigue, dyspnea, altered mental status, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥ 5.8, and severe-critical condition. This scoring system had an Area-under-the-curve (AUC) of 84.7%. With cut-off score of 6, the sensitivity was 76.3% and the specificity was 78.2%. CONCLUSION: The result of this practical prognostic scoring system may be a guide to decision making of physicians and help in the education of family members related to the possible outcome.

Association between cardiovascular diseases and COVID-19 pneumonia outcome in Indonesia: a multi-center cohort study.

Background: COVID-19 is a pandemic affecting 185 countries, including Indonesia. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in COVID-19 patients were linked to worse clinical outcomes. However, the association remained inconclusive due to limited data in Indonesia. This study aimed to determine the association between CVD in COVID-19 pneumonia patients with its clinical outcomes. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in four Indonesian hospitals, enrolling 584 adult COVID-19 pneumonia patients from September 2020 to July 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups: non-CVD and CVD [hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic heart failure (CHF), hypertensive heart disease (HHD), arrhythmia, cardiomegaly, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), mitral regurgitation (MR), and myocardial injury (MI)]. Clinical outcomes include in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit admission, ventilator use, earlier death, and prolonged hospital stay. Mann-Whitney test was used for analysis. Results: The most common CVD was hypertension (48.1%), followed by MI (10.6%), CAD (9.2%), CHF (6.8%), HHD (3.1%), arrhythmia (1.7%), and others (0.7%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 24%, and patients were hospitalized for a median of 12 days. MI was the only CVD that increased in-hospital mortality (RR 2.105). It was also significantly increased in patients with diabetes mellitus (RR 1.475) and chronic kidney disease (RR 2.079). Meanwhile, prolonged hospital stay was associated with any CVD (RR 1.553), hypertension (RR 1.511), MI (RR 1.969), CHF (RR 1.595), diabetes mellitus (RR 1.359), and cerebrovascular disease (RR 2.203). Conclusion: COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with CVD, specifically MI and hypertension, worsens the COVID-19 clinical outcomes.

Evaluation of safety and effectiveness of remdesivir in treating COVID-19 patients after emergency use authorization study.

Background: This study aimed to determine the real-world safety and effectiveness of remdesivir in hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-critical disease in Indonesia. Methods: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted at four COVID-19 referral hospitals in Jakarta. A total of 587 patients were included, of whom 243 received remdesivir within 72 h of admission. The safety endpoints were the proportions of patients with any adverse event (AE), any grade 3 AE, and AE of each system organ class. The effectiveness endpoints were ICU admission >24 h from baseline, live discharge and mortality at day 14, live discharge and mortality at day 28, and virologic conversion. Patients who received remdesivir within 72 h of admission were considered the treatment group, and those who did not were the control group. Multivariate adjustments were performed using a modified Poisson regression. Results: The study found no significant differences in safety endpoints between the two groups. However, the effectiveness endpoints showed that remdesivir was associated with a decreased risk of ICU admission >24 h from baseline (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52-0.96), an increased probability of live discharge at day 14 (RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.08-1.74), and an increased probability of live discharge at day 28 (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.05-1.57). The rate of virologic conversion was not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: The study concludes that remdesivir is safe and effective in the treatment of moderate-to-critical COVID-19 in a real-world setting in Indonesia.