Outcomes of COVID-19: Disparities by ethnicity

Hamad Ali 1, Abdullah Alshukry 2, Sulaiman K Marafie 3, Monera AlRukhayes 4, Yaseen Ali 2, Mohammad Bu Abbas 2, Abdullah Al-Taweel 5, Yousef Bukhamseen 5, Mohammad H Dashti 6, Abdullah A Al-Shammari 7, Mohammad Abu-Farha 3, Jehad AbuBakr 3, Fahd Al-Mulla 3

Affiliations

01 January 2021

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doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104639

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the role of ethnicity in COVID-19 outcome disparities in a cohort in Kuwait.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 405 individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Kuwait. Outcomes such as symptoms severity and mortality were considered. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to report the odds ratios (OR) for ICU admission and dying from COVID-19.

Results: The cohort included 290 Arabs and 115 South Asians. South Asians recorded significantly higher COVID-19 death rates compared to Arabs (33% vs. 7.6%, P value<0.001). When compared to Arabs, South Asians also had higher odds of being admitted to the ICU (OR = 6.28, 95% CI: 3.34-11.80, p < 0.001). South Asian patients showed 7.62 (95% CI: 3.62-16.02, p < 0.001) times the odds of dying from COVID-19.

Conclusion: COVID-19 patients with South Asians ethnicity in Kuwait are more likely to have worse prognosis and outcome when compared to patients with Arab ethnicity. This suggest a possible role for ethnicity in COVID-19 outcome disparities and this role is likely to be multifactorial.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. All co-authors have seen and agree with the contents of the manuscript and there is no financial interest to report.

Figures

Fig. 1 Odds ratios of dying and being admitted to ICU from COVID-19 if a patient is of South Asian ethnicity. Baseline is Arab ethnicity. ORs are adjusted for age, gender, smoking status and other co-morbidities.

Fig. 1 Odds ratios of dying and being admitted to ICU from COVID-19 if a patient is of South Asian ethnicity. Baseline is Arab ethnicity. ORs are adjusted for age, gender, smoking status and other co-morbidities.

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