ArticleBMC public health2023
Comorbidities associated with the severity of COVID-19, and differences across ethnic groups: a UK Biobank cohort study.
Article in BMC public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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12 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Comorbidities and Severe COVID-19 Outcomes: A Retrospective Analysis of Hospitalized Patients in Three Counties in Romania.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Short-term acute outcomes by clinical and socioeconomic characteristics in adults with SARS-CoV-2: a population-based cohort study focused on the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Deciphering respiratory viral infections by harnessing organ-on-chip technology to explore the gut-lung axis.Open biology · 2025Review
- Associations between social determinants of health and COVID-19 outcomes by variants of concern: a Bayesian spatiotemporal analysis.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- The COVID-19 thrombus: distinguishing pathological, mechanistic, and phenotypic features and management.Journal of thrombosis and thrombolysis · 2025Review
- Analysis of data of COVID lockdown period: Comorbidity and fatality rates in a few districts of Assam, India.Data in brief · 2024Article
- Exploring the Relationship between Telomere Length and Cognitive Changes in Post-COVID-19 Subjects.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on Psychiatric Patients: The Role of Vaccination, Comorbidities, and Biomarkers in Clinical Outcomes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Vascular Alterations Following COVID-19 Infection: A Comprehensive Literature Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Immunological and biochemical biomarker alterations among SARS-COV-2 patients with varying disease phenotypes in Uganda.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Article
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Abstract
backgroundDisparities in COVID-19 outcomes exist on the basis of ethnicity and comorbidities. Minority ethnic groups in the UK are known to have poorer COVID-19 outcomes, but also an increased prevelance of certain comorbidities associated with severe outcomes. Additionally, despite the prevalence of certain psychiatric disorders there is a lack of research establishing their relationship with COVID-19 outcomes.
methodsWe used UK Biobank data, involving 472,182 participants, to test for an association between comorbidities and COVID-19 diagnosis (n = 30,901); and to test for an association between comorbidities and severe COVID-19 (n = 3182). This was done by performing univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis, estimating odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). The comorbidities studied were coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, chronic kidney disease (CKD), depression and anxiety. Multivariable models were adjusted for various socioeconomic, demographic and health-related confounders. We then performed sub-group analysis by common UK ethnic groups (White, South Asian, and Black).
resultsIncreased prevalence of all studied comorbidities was seen in both outcomes, compared to the rest of the cohort. All studied comorbidities were associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 infection and severity across all models. For example, the adjusted ORs (95% CI) for depression were 1.112 (1.083 - 1.161) for COVID-19 diagnosis and 2.398 (2.163 - 2.658) for severe COVID-19. Sub-group analysis revealed stronger associations of COVID-19 diagnosis and severe COVID-19 for South-Asian participants for CHD (OR 1.585 [95% CI 1.194-2.105] for COVID-19 diagnosis and 3.021 [1.683-5.390] for severe COVID-19), hypertension (1.488 [1.231-1.799]; 3.399 [1.862-6.206]) and T2DM (1.671 [1.346-2.076]; 5.412 [3.130-9.357]) compared to White participants (1.264 [1.195-1.336] and 1.627 [1.441-1.837] for CHD; 1.131 [1.097-1.116] and 2.075 [1.885-2.284] for hypertension; 1.402 [1.331-1.476] and 2.890 [2.596-3.216] for T2DM). Similar results were seen for Black participants with CKD and hypertension.
conclusionSpecific comorbidities are risk factors for poorer COVID-19 outcomes, supporting targeted interventions and policy aimed at individuals with these comorbidities. Although further research is required, there's also a need for targeted policies for ethnic minorities assessing the unique reasons they are at greater risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes.
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