New York, Nov 9 (IANS) Increasing rates of food insecurity are independently associated with an increase in cardiovascular death rates among adults between the ages of 20 and 64, say researchers.

According to the study, about 10 per cent of adults in the US are considered food insecure, meaning they lack immediate access to fresh, healthy and affordable food.

In addition, the stress from not knowing where their next meal will come from or regularly consuming cheap, processed foods may have an adverse impact on cardiovascular health.

“This research shows food insecurity, which is a particular type of economic distress, is associated with cardiovascular disease,” study author Sameed Khatana from University of Pennsylvania in the US.

“It illustrates that cardiovascular health is tied to many things,” Khatana added.

Researchers accessed county-level data on cardiovascular death rates and food insecurity rates that occurred from 2011 to 2017, among adults age 20 to 64, and those 65 years old and older.

In their analysis, researchers examined cardiovascular mortality trends in the US by average annual percent change in food insecurity.

They assessed the relationship between changes in food insecurity and cardiovascular death rates, after adjusting for variables including changes in demographics, employment, poverty, income, health insurance and other factors already known to affect cardiovascular risk.

Overall, food insecurity rates for the entire country declined significantly (from 14.7 per cent to 13.3 per cent) between 2011 and 2017.

The level in which food insecurity changes was a significant predictor of death for people between the ages of 20 and 64.

The findings showed that cardiovascular death rates remained much higher among the elderly than younger people.

According to the researchers, for every one per cent increase in food insecurity, there was a similar increase in cardiovascular mortality among non-elderly adults.

The study is scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 202, virtually from November 13-17.

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The prevalence of HIV among patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appears to be higher compared with the general population, suggesting an increased susceptibility to COVID-19 among people with HIV, according to research presented at IDWeek, held virtually from October 21 to 25, 2020.

To determine the prevalence of HIV in patients with COVID-19 and the relationship between people with HIV and higher COVID-19 mortality rates, researchers conducted a meta-analysis using PubMed, Scopus, OVID, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases, including grey literature from January 1 to June 15.

Of the 14 studies analyzed, 8 were in the United States, 3 in Spain, 1 in China, 1 in Italy, and 1 in Germany. Of the 144,795 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 592 included people with HIV.

The pooled prevalence of HIV in patients with COVID-19 was 1.22% (95% CI, 0.61-2.43%), double the prevalence of 0.65% (95% CI, 0.48-0.89%) in the general population. The pooled HIV prevalence among patients with COVID-19 in the United States was 1.43% (95% CI, 0.98-2.07%), which was significantly higher than Spain’s prevalence of 0.26% (95% CI, 0.23-0.29%), but not significantly higher than China’s prevalence of 0.99% (95% CI, 0.25-3.85%).

The pooled mortality rate among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and HIV was 14.09% (95% CI, 5.78-30.50%), and the rate was highest in the Unites States compared with the other countries.

Findings suggest that people with HIV may have a higher susceptibility to COVID-19. While mortality rates are high, they “vary significantly across countries,” investigators concluded.

Reference

Ssentongo P, Heilbrunn ES, Ssentongo AE, et al. Prevalence of HIV in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and associated mortality outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Presented at: IDWeek 2020; October 21-25, 2020. Poster 393.

The post People With HIV May Have a Higher Susceptibility to COVID-19 appeared first on MyMedicPlus.