Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40075342›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Association between pre-existing chronic conditions and severity of first SARS-CoV-2 infection symptoms among adults living in Canada: a population-based survey analysis from January 2020 to August 2022.

Nicholas Cheta, Dianne Zakaria, Alain Demers, Peri Abdullah, Samina Aziz

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Nicholas ChetaLifespan Chronic Diseases and Conditions Division (LCDC), Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research (CSAR), Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch (HPCDP), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Ottawa, ON, Canada. nicholas.cheta@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
Dianne ZakariaLifespan Chronic Diseases and Conditions Division (LCDC), Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research (CSAR), Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch (HPCDP), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Alain DemersLifespan Chronic Diseases and Conditions Division (LCDC), Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research (CSAR), Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch (HPCDP), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Peri AbdullahLifespan Chronic Diseases and Conditions Division (LCDC), Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research (CSAR), Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch (HPCDP), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Samina AzizLifespan Chronic Diseases and Conditions Division (LCDC), Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research (CSAR), Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch (HPCDP), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIndividuals living with chronic conditions (CC) typically have a higher risk of more severe outcomes when exposed to infection. Although many studies have investigated the relationship between CCs and COVID-19 severity, they are generally limited to clinical or hospitalized populations. There is a need to estimate the impact of pre-existing CCs on the severity of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection symptoms among the general population.

methodsData from the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey - Cycle 2, a population-based cross-sectional probability survey across 10 provinces capturing the COVID-19 experiences of respondents from January 2020 to August 2022, were used to assess whether pre-existing CCs increased the odds of more severe self-reported infection symptoms among adults living in Canada. Multivariable regression modelling identified which CCs were independently associated with more severe infection symptoms after adjusting for sex, age at infection, and other significant covariates.

resultsChronic lung disease (aOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.46), high blood pressure (aOR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.62), weakened immune system (aOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.98), chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia (aOR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.39, 3.50), and arthritis (aOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.56) were associated with a higher odds of more severe infection, whereas osteoporosis (aOR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.39, 0.87) was associated with a lower odds. Limiting modelling to adults with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections affected some of the variables retained and adjusted associations.

conclusionOur findings contribute to a growing evidence base of associations between pre-existing CCs and adverse outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Identifying factors associated with more severe infection allows for more targeted prevention strategies and early interventions that can minimize the impact of infection.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdolescentAdultAgedCanadaChronic DiseaseCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHealth SurveysHumansMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2Severity of Illness IndexYoung AdultCanadaCCAHS-2chronic conditionsCOVID-19cross-sectional surveymultivariable modelingSARS-CoV-2severity

Identifiers

PMID40075342
PMCPMC11905645

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.