Journal of Asthma and Allergy (Sep 2023)
Pre-Existing Allergies Patients with Higher Viral Load and Longer Recovery Days Infected by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 in Shanghai, China, 2022
Abstract
Ru Wen,1– 3,* Jingwen Li,4,* Xingang Wang,1,* Peng Xu,1 Guizhu Li,5 Jian Wang,1 Xianchun Zeng,2,6 Chen Liu1 1Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Medical Imaging, Guizhou Provincial People Hospital, Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, 550000, People’s Republic of China; 3Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, 550000, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Gastroenterology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of China; 5College of Mathematics and Statistics, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, People’s Republic of China; 6NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immunological Diseases (Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital), Guiyang, Guizhou, China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chen Liu, Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), 30 Gao Tan Yan St, Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8613108968808, Email [email protected] Xianchun Zeng, Department of Medical Imaging, Guizhou Provincial People Hospital, No. 83, East Zhongshan Road, Nanming District, Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, 550000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8615286061024, Email [email protected]: It is not known whether the viral load and the number of days to negative nucleic acid increased in patients with a history of allergy during the COVID-19 pandemic.Objective: To investigate the impact of allergy labels on SARS-CoV-2 Omicron outcomes.Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 62,293 patients with mild Omicron infection between April 9, 2022, and May 31, 2022. Using 1:2 propensity score matching, we identified 2177 COVID-19 patients with a history of allergy and 4254 COVID-19 patients with no history of allergy. The differences in viral load, days to nucleic acid turning negative, and clinical symptoms were compared between the two groups.Results: Compared with the group with no allergies, the number of days before negative nucleic acid conversion of COVID-19 patients with allergies was significantly higher, the viral load was significantly higher, and the cumulative negative conversion rates at 5– 10 days were all lower (p < 0.01). Patients with a history of allergy to antibiotics had higher viral load and more days with negative nucleic acid levels (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that the viral load in penicillin-allergic and cephalosporins-allergic patients was significantly compared to patients without any history of allergies (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Patients with a history of allergy have a more significant viral load and a longer duration of nucleic acid negative conversion upon COVID-19 infection, particularly those allergic to antibiotics.Keywords: COVID-19, omicron, allergy history, antibiotics allergy, ct value, nucleic acid turning-negative-time
