Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with Essential Tremor After COVID-19
Author Information
Author(s): Pakan Rachel, Hadidchi Roham, Al-Ani Yousef, Piskun Hannah, Duong Katie S., Henry Sonya, Wang Stephen, Maurer Carine W., Duong Tim Q.
Primary Institution: Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center
Hypothesis
COVID-19 exposure is associated with worse long-term outcomes in individuals with essential tremor.
Conclusion
COVID-19 significantly increases the risk of several long-term adverse health outcomes in patients with essential tremor, but does not affect mortality.
Supporting Evidence
- COVID-19 was significantly associated with higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.
- Patients with COVID-19 had a higher prevalence of type-2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety.
- COVID-19 did not increase the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with essential tremor.
- 65.6% of COVID-19 patients were hospitalized during their infection.
- COVID-19 exposure was linked to new-onset sleep disturbances and fatigue.
Takeaway
This study found that people with essential tremor who had COVID-19 are more likely to have health problems like anxiety and fatigue later on, but they don't seem to die from it more than those who didn't have COVID.
Methodology
This was a retrospective study evaluating 1074 essential tremor patients from the Montefiore Health System between January 2016 and July 2023, comparing outcomes between those with and without COVID-19.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias as the cohort may include a higher proportion of severe COVID-19 cases.
Limitations
The study is limited to patients who returned for follow-ups, may not be generalizable due to demographic factors, and did not analyze socioeconomic variables or vaccination status.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included a diverse urban population with a mean age of 66.57 years, and a higher prevalence of type-2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety in the COVID-19 group.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
[1.49, 3.82]
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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