Tuberculosis, COVID-19 and migrants: Preliminary analysis of deaths occurring in 69 patients from two cohorts
I. Motta,
R. Centis,
L. D’Ambrosio,
J.-M. García-García,
D. Goletti,
G. Gualano,
F. Lipani,
F. Palmieri,
A. Sánchez-Montalvá,
E. Pontali,
G. Sotgiu,
A. Spanevello,
C. Stochino,
E. Tabernero,
M. Tadolini,
M. van den Boom,
S. Villa,
D. Visca,
G.B. Migliori
Affiliations
I. Motta
Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Clinica Universitaria Malattie Infettive, Ospedale Amedeo di Savoia, Torino, Italy
R. Centis
Servizio di Epidemiologia Clinica delle Malattie Respiratorie, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Tradate, Italy
L. D’Ambrosio
Public Health Consulting Group, Lugano, Switzerland
J.-M. García-García
Tuberculosis Research Programme (PII-TB), SEPAR, Barcelona, Spain
D. Goletti
Translational Research Unit, National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘L. Spallanzani’, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
G. Gualano
Respiratory Infectious Diseases Unit, National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘L. Spallanzani’, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
F. Lipani
Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Clinica Universitaria Malattie Infettive, Ospedale Amedeo di Savoia, Torino, Italy
F. Palmieri
Respiratory Infectious Diseases Unit, National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘L. Spallanzani’, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
A. Sánchez-Montalvá
Infectious Diseases Department. International Health and Tuberculosis Unit, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Spain; Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain; Grupo de Estudio de Infecciones por Micobacterias (GEIM), Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases (SEIMC), Spain
E. Pontali
Department of Infectious Diseases, Galliera Hospital, Genova, Italy
G. Sotgiu
Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Statistics Unit, Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
A. Spanevello
Division of Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, IRCCS, Tradate, Italy; Department of Medicine and Surgery, Respiratory Diseases, University of Insubria, Tradate, Varese-Como, Italy
C. Stochino
Phthisiology Unit, E.-Morelli Sondalo Hospital, ASST Valtellina and Alto Lario, Sondrio, Italy
E. Tabernero
Servicio Neumología, Hospital de Cruces, Bilbao, Spain
M. Tadolini
Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
M. van den Boom
World Health Organization Regional office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark
S. Villa
Centre for Multidisciplinary Research in Health Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
D. Visca
Division of Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, IRCCS, Tradate, Italy; Department of Medicine and Surgery, Respiratory Diseases, University of Insubria, Tradate, Varese-Como, Italy
G.B. Migliori
Servizio di Epidemiologia Clinica delle Malattie Respiratorie, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Tradate, Italy; Corresponding author.
Little is known about the relationship between the COVID-19 and tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study is to describe a group of patients who died with TB (active disease or sequelae) and COVID-19 in two cohorts.Data from 49 consecutive cases in 8 countries (cohort A) and 20 hospitalised patients with TB and COVID-19 (cohort B) were analysed and patients who died were described. Demographic and clinical variables were retrospectively collected, including co-morbidities and risk factors for TB and COVID-19 mortality.Overall, 8 out of 69 (11.6%) patients died, 7 from cohort A (14.3%) and one from cohort B (5%).Out of 69 patients 43 were migrants, 26/49 (53.1%) in cohort A and 17/20 (85.0%) in cohort B.Migrants: (1) were younger than natives; in cohort A the median (IQR) age was 40 (27–49) VS. 66 (46–70) years, whereas in cohort B 37 (27–46) VS. 48 (47–60) years; (2) had a lower mortality rate than natives (1/43, 2.3% versus 7/26, 26.9%; p-value: 0.002); (3) had fewer co-morbidities than natives (23/43, 53.5% versus 5/26–19.2%) natives; p-value: 0.005).The study findings show that: (1) mortality is likely to occur in elderly patients with co-morbidities; (2) TB might not be a major determinant of mortality and (3) migrants had lower mortality, probably because of their younger age and lower number of co-morbidities. However, in settings where advanced forms of TB frequently occur and are caused by drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis, higher mortality rates can be expected in young individuals.
