COVID-19 and mortality in doctors

Background and aimsCOVID-19 disease appear to have been associated with significant mortality amongst doctors and health care workers globally. We explore the various risk factors associated with this occupational risk, especially focusing on India. This may elucidate lessons to protect these frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe carried out a comprehensive review of the literature using suitable keywords such as ‘COVID-19’, ‘pandemics’, ‘physicians’ ‘mortality’ and ‘health personnel’ on the search engines of PubMed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar and ResearchGate in the month of July 2020 during the current COVID-19 pandemic and assessed mortality data.ResultsMortality in health care professionals has been on the rise. The countries which faced the pandemic in the early months of 2020 have had a huge surge in mortality amongst doctors due to COVID-19. India continues to show a rising trend in COVID-19 cases, however although compared to the western world India has seen a comparatively favourable statistic. Male gender, elderly doctors and those belonging to Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community seem to be predisposing factors in the western world.ConclusionCOVID-19 has been associated with an increased mortality in doctors and health care workers. Until an effective cure/vaccine is developed, risk assessments at work, mitigating confounding factors, adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and enhanced protection against infection are necessary to protect health care professionals on the coronavirus frontline. Otherwise this occupational risk can lead to further untimely mortality and become another unintended consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Differential mortality in COVID-19 patients from India and western countries

Background and aimsCOVID-19 disease has been associated with disproportionate mortality amongst world population. We try to elucidate various reasons for lower mortality rate in the Indian subcontinent due to COVID-19 pandemic.MethodWe carried out a comprehensive review of the literature using suitable keywords such as ‘COVID-19’, ‘Pandemics’, ‘disease outbreaks’ and ‘India’ on the search engines of PubMed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar and Research Gate in the month of May 2020 during the current COVID-19 pandemic and assessed mortality data.ResultsThe mortality observed in Indian and south Asian subcontinent is lower than in the west.Multifactorial reasons indicated for this differential mortality due to COVID-19 have been described in the current literature.ConclusionsThe effects of COVID-19 on the health of racial and ethnic minority groups are still emerging with disproportionate burden of illness and death amongst some black and ethnic minority groups. Overall the current COVID-19 related mortality appears to be lower in the health and resource challenged populous Indian subcontinent. Further scientific studies would be helpful to understand this disparity in mortality due to COVID-19 in the world population.     

Elucidating reasons of COVID-19 re-infection and its management strategies

Background and aimsReinfection is gradually being recognised after symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection. We try to elucidate various explanations behind COVID-19 reinfection and suggest possible strategies to counteract this threat.MethodsWe carried out a comprehensive review of the literature using suitable keywords such as ‘COVID-19’, ‘Pandemics’, ‘Reinfection’, ‘Vaccines’ and ‘India’ on the search engines of PubMed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar and Research Gate in March 2021 and first half of April 2021 during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Epidemiology, risk factors and trends of reinfection were assessed.ResultsA multitude of factors have been associated with rising incidence of COVID-19 reinfection in India and across the world. Emergence of ‘Variants of Concern (VOC)’, pandemic fatigue and disregard of infection prevention strategies appear to be the most obvious reasons.ConclusionsCOVID-19 reinfection is an emerging concern amongst the worldwide population with newer mutant strains demonstrating increasing transmissibility and responsible for continuing waves of the pandemic. COVID Appropriate Behaviour (CAB), improvised vaccines and enhanced vaccination drives are necessary to mitigate global threat.     

Elucidating causes of COVID-19 infection and related deaths after vaccination

Background and aimsSymptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection has been reported in vaccination. In the current article, we try to elucidate various causes behind COVID-19 infection and mortality following COVID-19 vaccination and suggest possible strategies to counteract this threat.MethodsWe carried out a comprehensive review of the literature using suitable keywords such as ‘COVID-19’, ‘Pandemics’, ‘Vaccines’, ‘Mortality’, ‘deaths’, ‘infections’, and ‘India’ on the search engines of PubMed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate in from January to May 2021. Epidemiology, risk factors, Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) and mortality after COVID-19 vaccination were assessed.ResultsA number of factors have been associated with symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection reported after vaccination. A high viral load, comorbidities, mutant strains, Variants of Concern (VOC) leading to Vaccine escape and casual attitude towards COVID Appropriate Behaviors appear to be the most important factors for infection and deaths after COVID-19 vaccination.ConclusionsCOVID-19 Infection and mortality after COVID-19 vaccination are of great concern. Application of COVID Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) before and after vaccination is essential for the population. Effective Vaccines against mutant strains and enhanced vaccination drive are key strategies to avoid this quintessential threat. Early medical intervention in high-risk groups can prevent overall mortality.     

Diabetes in COVID-19: Prevalence,pathophysiology, prognosis and practical considerations

Background and aimsHigh prevalence of diabetes makes it an important comorbidity in patients with COVID-19. We sought to review and analyze the data regarding the association between diabetes and COVID-19, pathophysiology of the disease in diabetes and management of patients with diabetes who develop COVID-19 infection.MethodsPubMed database and Google Scholar were searched using the key terms ‘COVID-19’, ‘SARS-CoV-2’, ‘diabetes’, ‘antidiabetic therapy’ up to April 2, 2020. Full texts of the retrieved articles were accessed.ResultsThere is evidence of increased incidence and severity of COVID-19 in patients with diabetes. COVID-19 could have effect on the pathophysiology of diabetes. Blood glucose control is important not only for patients who are infected with COVID-19, but also for those without the disease. Innovations like telemedicine are useful to treat patients with diabetes in today’s times.     

Diabetes and metabolic syndrome as risk factors for COVID-19

Background and aimsClinical evidence exists that patients with diabetes are at higher risk for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We investigated the physiological origins of this clinical observation linking diabetes with severity and adverse outcome of COVID-19.MethodsPublication mining was applied to reveal common physiological contexts in which diabetes and COVID-19 have been investigated simultaneously. Overall, we have acquired 1,121,078 publications from PubMed in the time span between 01-01-2000 and 17-04-2020, and extracted knowledge graphs interconnecting the topics related to diabetes and COVID-19.ResultsThe Data Mining revealed three pathophysiological pathways linking diabetes and COVID-19. The first pathway indicates a higher risk for COVID-19 because of a dysregulation of Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. The other two important physiological links between diabetes and COVID-19 are liver dysfunction and chronic systemic inflammation. A deep network analysis has suggested clinical biomarkers predicting the higher risk: Hypertension, elevated serum Alanine aminotransferase, high Interleukin-6, and low Lymphocytes count.ConclusionsThe revealed biomarkers can be applied directly in clinical practice. For newly infected patients, the medical history needs to be checked for evidence of a long-term, chronic dysregulation of these biomarkers. In particular, patients with diabetes, but also those with prediabetic state, deserve special attention.     

Insulin resistance in COVID-19 and diabetes

BackgroundThe epidemiology of COVID-19 and its association with cardiometabolic disorders is poorly understood. This is a narrative review that investigates the effects of COVID-19 infection on insulin resistance in patients with diabetes.MethodsAn online search of all published literature was done via PubMed and Google Scholar using the MeSH terms “COVID-19,” “SARS-CoV-2,” “coronavirus,” “insulin resistance,” and “diabetes.” Only articles that were directly applicable to insulin resistance in COVID-19 and diabetes was reviewed.ResultsCurrent data shows an increased risk of mortality in patients with diabetes and COVID-19 compared to those without diabetes. COVID-19 triggers insulin resistance in patients, causing chronic metabolic disorders that were non-existent prior to infection.ConclusionPatients with diabetes are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection than those without diabetes. ACE2 expression decreases with infection, exaggerating Ang II activity with subsequent insulin resistance development, an exaggerated immune response and severe SARS-COV-2 infection.     

Cardiovascular disease and COVID-19

Background and aimsMany patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have underlying cardiovascular (CV) disease or develop acute cardiac injury during the course of the illness. Adequate understanding of the interplay between COVID-19 and CV disease is required for optimum management of these patients.MethodsA literature search was done using PubMed and Google search engines to prepare a narrative review on this topic.ResultsRespiratory illness is the dominant clinical manifestation of COVID-19; CV involvement occurs much less commonly. Acute cardiac injury, defined as significant elevation of cardiac troponins, is the most commonly reported cardiac abnormality in COVID-19. It occurs in approximately 8–12% of all patients. Direct myocardial injury due to viral involvement of cardiomyocytes and the effect of systemic inflammation appear to be the most common mechanisms responsible for cardiac injury. The information about other CV manifestations in COVID-19 is very limited at present. Nonetheless, it has been consistently shown that the presence of pre-existing CV disease and/or development of acute cardiac injury are associated with significantly worse outcome in these patients.ConclusionsMost of the current reports on COVID-19 have only briefly described CV manifestations in these patients. Given the enormous burden posed by this illness and the significant adverse prognostic impact of cardiac involvement, further research is required to understand the incidence, mechanisms, clinical presentation and outcomes of various CV manifestations in COVID-19 patients.     

Vitamin D deficiency in patients with diabetes and COVID- 19 infection

Background and aimsData show that vitamin D deficiency may play a role in patients with diabetes mellitus and COVID-19 infection. In this article, we review evidence of vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 infection in context of diabetes mellitus.MethodsA literature search was carried out by using the key term ‘COVID 19’ combined with ‘Diabetes’, ‘Vitamin D’, ‘Extra skeletal effects’, ‘immunity’, ‘infection’, ‘India’ from Pub Med (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD and Google Scholar from December 2019 to May 2020. A manual search of the references was also carried out.ResultsVitamin D deficiency has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality in COVID -19 infections but convincing data on diabetic subgroup of patients in particular is still awaited.ConclusionRobust studies are required to ascertain if Vitamin D supplementation could be beneficial in patients with diabetes and COVID-19.     

COVID-19 and diabetes; Possible role of polymorphism and rise of telemedicine

BackgroundDiabetes has been found to be one of the leading comorbidities associated with fatality in COVID-19 patients. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entry is facilitated by interaction with Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) and possible polymorphisms in ACE2 can be a determining factor in host-viral protein interaction. A significant shift of healthcare towards ‘Telemedicine’ is also on the rise. In this review, the possible effects of ACE2 polymorphisms on SARS-CoV-2 entry along with the escalation of ‘telemedicine’ is discussed.MethodAn expansive literature search using keywords: “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “diabetes”, “type 2 diabetes’’, “type 1 diabetes”, “ACE2”, “polymorphism”, “DPP4” and “telemedicine” was conducted on Pubmed and EMBASE till 7th August 2020.ResultPossible polymorphisms in ACE2 gene can play a role in influencing the virus entry in host body. Telemedicine can bring a new revolution for medical sector.ConclusionCOVID-19 severity is more heinous among diabetic population. So far, the in-silico studies involving human ACE2-viral Spike (S) interaction showed inconsistent predictions regarding some SNPs. But without actual in-vivo studies, a holistic understanding can’t be established.     

Anti-inflammatory properties of antidiabetic drugs: A “promised land” in the COVID-19 era?

Inflammation is implicated in the development and severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as well as in the pathophysiology of diabetes. Diabetes, especially when uncontrolled, is also recognized as an important risk factor for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, certain inflammatory markers [i.e. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and ferritin] were reported as strong predictors of worse outcomes in COVID-19 positive patients. The same biomarkers have been associated with poor glycemic control. Therefore, achieving euglycemia in patients with diabetes is even more important in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.Based on the above, it is clinically interesting to elucidate whether antidiabetic drugs may reduce inflammation, thus possibly minimizing the risk for COVID-19 development and severity. The present narrative review discusses the potential anti-inflammatory properties of certain antidiabetic drugs (i.e. metformin, pioglitazone, sitagliptin, linagliptin, vildagliptin, alogliptin, saxagliptin, liraglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide, lixisenatide, semaglutide, empagliflozin, dapagliflozin, canagliflozin), with a focus on CRP, IL-6 and ferritin.     

Cough in the Elderly During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

The prevalence of chronic cough increases with age. However, data on the prevalence and background disorders of cough subtypes in the elderly are scarce. The objective of this study was to identify the point prevalence and risk factors of acute, subacute, and chronic cough in an elderly community-based population.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional email survey amongst 26,205 members of the Finnish Pensioners’ Federation during the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2021.

Results

The response rate was 23.6% (6189). 5983 subjects aged at least 64 years were included in the analyses (mean 72.6 years, 66.3% female). The point prevalence of daily acute, subacute, and chronic cough were 1.4%, 0.7%, and 9.6%, respectively. Only 0.4% of the subjects had a COVID-19 infection. In the multivariate analyses, chronic rhinosinusitis, and obstructive sleep apnoea were common risk factors for all cough subtypes. Chronic cough had several risk factors; Bronchiectasis (OR 5.79 (CI95% 2.70–12.41)), current asthma (2.67 (2.02–3.54)), chronic rhinosinusitis (2.51 (1.94–3.24)), somatic symptom score (1.13 per symptom (1.07–1.19)), family history of chronic cough (1.88 (1.54–2.30)), gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (1.86 (1.50–2.32)), advanced age (1.20 per decade (1.02–1.40)), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1.74 (0.99–3.05)), dog ownership (1.42 (1.07–1.89)), and obstructive sleep apnoea (1.41 (1.16–1.73)).

Conclusion

Acute and subacute cough, as well as previous COVID-19 infection, were uncommon in this Finnish elderly population. The prevalence of chronic cough was higher than that previously found in younger adults. Chronic cough is a multifactorial disorder in the elderly.

     

Differences in Inflammation,Treatment, and Outcomes Between Black and Non-Black Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19: A Prospective Cohort Study

PurposeRacial disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes have been described. We sought to determine whether differences in inflammatory markers, use of COVID-19 therapies, enrollment in clinical trials, and in-hospital outcomes contribute to racial disparities between Black and non-Black patients hospitalized for COVID-19.MethodsWe leveraged a prospective cohort study that enrolled 1325 consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19, of whom 341 (25.7%) were Black. We measured biomarkers of inflammation and collected data on the use COVID-19-directed therapies, enrollment in COVID-19 clinical trials, mortality, need for renal replacement therapy, and need for mechanical ventilation.ResultsCompared to non-Black patients, Black patients had a higher prevalence of COVID-19 risk factors including obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus and were more likely to require renal replacement therapy (15.8% vs 7.1%, P < .001) and mechanical ventilation (37.2% vs 26.6%, P < .001) during their hospitalization. Mortality was similar between both groups (15.5% for Blacks vs 14.0% for non-Blacks, P = .49). Black patients were less likely to receive corticosteroids (44.9% vs 63.8%, P< .001) or remdesivir (23.8% vs 57.8%, P < .001) and were less likely to be enrolled in COVID-19 clinical trials (15.3% vs 28.2%, P < .001). In adjusted analyses, Black race was associated with lower levels of C-reactive protein and soluble urokinase receptor and higher odds of death, mechanical ventilation, and renal replacement therapy. Differences in outcomes were not significant after adjusting for use of remdesivir and corticosteroids.ConclusionsRacial differences in outcomes of patients with COVID-19 may be related to differences in inflammatory response and differential use of therapies.     

Learning opportunities from COVID-19 and future effects on health care system

Background and aimsCOVID-19 has had a crippling effect on the health care systems around the world with cancellation of elective medical services and disruption of daily life. We would like to highlight the learning opportunities offered by the current pandemic and their implication for a better future health care system.MethodsWe have undertaken a comprehensive review of the current literature to analyse the consequences of COVID-19 on health care system. Using suitable keywords like ‘COVID-19’, ‘telemedicine’, ‘health care’ and ‘remote consultations’ on the search engines of PubMed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar and Research Gate in the first week of May we gathered information on various aspects of effect of COVID-19.ResultsThere has been a shared drive worldwide to devise strategies to protect people against viral transmission with reinforcement of hand hygiene and infection control principles but also to provide continuity of health care. Virtual and remote technologies have been increasingly used in health care management.ConclusionCOVID-19 has offered unique learning opportunities for the health care sector. Rationalizing and optimizing available resources with resilience shown on the coronavirus frontline during the crisis are some of most important lessons learnt during the crisis. Importance of personal hygiene and re-enforcement of infection control measures have been acknowledged. Telemedicine revolution will be a vital factor in delivering health care in the future.     

Incident atrial fibrillation and its risk prediction in patients developing COVID-19: A machine learning based algorithm approach

BackgroundThe elderly multi-morbid patient is at high risk of adverse outcomes with COVID-19 complications, and in the general population, the development of incident AF is associated with worse outcomes in such patients. There is therefore the need to identify those patients with COVID-19 who are at highest risk of developing incident AF. We therefore investigated incident AF risks in a large prospective population of elderly patients with/without incident COVID-19 cases and baseline cardiovascular/non-cardiovascular multi-morbidities. We used two approaches: main effect modeling and secondly, a machine-learning (ML) approach, accounting for the complex dynamic relationships among comorbidity variables.MethodsWe studied a prospective elderly US cohort of 280,592 patients from medical databases in an 8-month investigation of with/without newly incident COVID19 cases. Incident AF outcomes were examined in relationship to diverse multi-morbid conditions, COVID-19 status and demographic variables, with ML accounting for the dynamic nature of changing multimorbidity risk factors.ResultsMulti-morbidity contributed to the onset of confirmed COVID-19 cases with cognitive impairment (OR 1.69; 95%CI 1.52–1.88), anemia (OR 1.41; 95%CI 1.32–1.50), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.35; 95%CI 1.27–1.44) and vascular disease (OR 1.30; 95%CI 1.21–1.39) having the highest associations. A main effect model (C-index value 0.718) showed that COVID-19 had the highest association with incident AF cases (OR 3.12; 95%CI 2.61–3.710, followed by congestive heart failure (1.72; 95%CI 1.50–1.96), then coronary artery disease (OR 1.43; 95%CI 1.27–1.60) and valvular disease (1.42; 95%CI 1.26–1.60). The ML algorithm demonstrated improved discriminatory validity incrementally over the statistical main effect model (training: C-index 0.729, 95%CI 0.718–0.740; validation: C-index 0.704, 95%CI 0.687–0.72). Calibration of the ML based formulation was satisfactory and better than the main-effect model. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the clinical utility for the ML based formulation was better than the ‘treat all’ strategy and the main effect model.ConclusionCOVID-19 status has major implications for incident AF in a cohort with diverse cardiovascular/non-cardiovascular multi-morbidities. Our ML approach accounting for dynamic multimorbidity changes had good prediction for new onset AF amongst incident COVID19 cases.     

Pitfalls in telemedicine consultations in the era of COVID 19 and how to avoid them

Background and aimsWith restrictions on face to face clinical consultations in the COVID-19 pandemic, Telemedicine has become an essential tool in providing continuity of care to patients. We explore the common pitfalls in remote consultations and strategies that can be adopted to avoid them.MethodsWe have done a comprehensive review of the literature using suitable keywords on the search engines of PubMed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar and Research Gate in the first week of May 2020 including ‘COVID-19’, ‘telemedicine’ and ‘remote consultations’.ResultsTelemedicine has become an integral part to support patient’s clinical care in the current COVID-19 pandemic now and will be in the future for both primary and secondary care. Common pitfalls can be identified and steps can be taken to prevent them.ConclusionTelemedicine it is going to play a key role in future of health medicine, however, telemedicine technology should be applied in appropriate settings and situations. Suitable training, enhanced documentations, communication and observing information governance guidelines will go a long way in avoiding pitfalls associated with remote consultations.     

Steroid use during COVID-19 infection and hyperglycemia – What a physician should know

Background and aimsThe COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge us. Despite several strides in management, steroids remain the mainstay for treating moderate to severe disease and with it arises challenges such as hyperglycemia. The review aims to enhance awareness amongst physicians on steroid use and hyperglycemia.MethodsAn advisory document describing various strategies for hyperglycemia management was prepared in the public interest by DiabetesIndia.ResultsThe review provides awareness on steroids and hyperglycemia, adverse outcomes of elevated blood glucose levels and, advice at the time of discharge.ConclusionsThe article emphasizes enhancing awareness on effective management of hyperglycemia during COVID-19.     

Factors associated with COVID-19 and its outcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective

We assessed the factors associated with COVID-19, clinical manifestations, and a 30-day-prognosis of COVID-19 in a cohort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared with the index population.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, RA patients were followed in rheumatology clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, and a group of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from index population were recruited. Outcomes of COVID-19 were assessed by the hospitalization rate and need to intensive care unit (ICU) and mortality. During a period of 12 weeks, 128 RA patients diagnosed with COVID-19, 760 RA control group, and 92 COVID-19 patients from index population were enrolled.

Results

Being female, obese, and diabetic, having pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and treatment with prednisolone?>?5 mg/d and TNFα inhibitors (TNFis) were independent predictors of COVID-19 in RA patients. Dyspnea, anosmia, and taste loss were more common in RA patients compared with the index population. Admission in hospital, need to ICU care, and mortality occurred in 38, 11.9, and 8.6 percent of RA patients, respectively. Although hospitalization rate in RA patients was more than the index population, there were no significant differences in need to ICU care and mortality between the two groups.

Conclusions

Treatment with prednisolone and TNFis and having comorbidities including obesity, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and CKD increase the risk of COVID-19 in RA patients. Although some differences exist in the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in RA patients and index population, prognosis of COVID-19 in RA patients is not any worse.

Metabolic syndrome and COVID-19: An update on the associated comorbidities and proposed therapies

Background and aimsMany patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have comorbidities related to metabolic syndrome (MS) during the disease course. Its presence in different ethnicities and continents places MS as an important risk factor for COVID-19. Adequate understanding of the interplay between MS, COVID-19 and proposed therapies is required for optimum management of these patients.MethodsWe systematically searched the PubMed and Google Scholar databases until June 1st, 2020 and accessed the full text on COVID-19 and MS to prepare a narrative review on this topic.ResultsPatients with metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and liver disease may face a higher risk of infection of COVID-19, greatly affecting the development and prognosis of the disease, being associated with significantly worse outcome in these patients. The proposed drugs that are in clinical trial for COVID-19 treatment must be carefully considered for clinical use, especially in patients with MS.ConclusionMS is a risk factor influencing the progression and prognosis of COVID-2019. The drugs currently evaluated for the infection treatment are promising but need further studies to prove their efficacy and safety, due to the adverse effects may be exacerbated by combination therapy or due to viral infection. The development of a vaccine for immunization is still the best long-term solution.     

Contentious issues and evolving concepts in the clinical presentation and management of patients with COVID-19 infectionwith reference to use of therapeutic and other drugs used in Co-morbid diseases (Hypertension,diabetes etc)

Background and aimsMultiple issues in management of COVID have emerged, but confusion persists regarding rational interpretation. Aim of this brief review is to review these issues based on current literature.MethodsThis is a narrative review with Pubmed and Google Scholar search till 23 March 2020. Search terms were, COVID-19, treatment of coronavirus, COVID 19 and following terms; chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, ibuprofen, ACE-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, cardiovascular disease, diarrhoea, liver, testis and gastrointestinal disease.ResultsWe discuss evidence regarding role of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in treatment and prophylaxis, use of inhibitors of the renin angiotensin system, safety of ibuprofen, unusual clinical features like gastrointestinal symptoms and interpretation of tests for cardiac enzymes and biomarkers.ConclusionsWhile our conclusions on management of COVID-19 patients with co-morbidities are based on current evidence, however, data is limited and there is immediate need for fast track research.