The Impact of World Trade Center Related Medical Conditions on the Severity of COVID-19 Disease and Its Long-Term Sequelae

Elizabeth Lhuillier, Yuan Yang, Olga Morozova, Sean A. P. Clouston, Xiaohua Yang, Monika A. Waszczuk, Melissa A. Carr and Benjamin J. Luft
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Elizabeth Lhuillier: Department of Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Yuan Yang: Program in Public Health, Stony Brook University (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Olga Morozova: Program in Public Health, Stony Brook University (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Sean A. P. Clouston: Program in Public Health, Stony Brook University (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Xiaohua Yang: Department of Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Monika A. Waszczuk: Department of Psychology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
Melissa A. Carr: World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program, Stony Brook University (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Benjamin J. Luft: Department of Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: The individuals who served our country in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) following the attacks of 11 September 2001 have, since then, been diagnosed with a number of conditions as a result of their exposures. In the present study, we sought to determine whether these conditions were risk factors for increased COVID-19 disease severity within a cohort of N = 1280 WTC responders with complete information on health outcomes prior to and following COVID-19 infection. We collected data on responders diagnosed with COVID-19, or had evidence of receiving positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction or antigen testing, or were asymptomatic but had IgG positive antibody testing. The presence of post-acute COVID-19 sequelae was measured using self-reported symptom severity scales. Analyses revealed that COVID-19 severity was associated with age, Black race, obstructive airway disease (OAD), as well as with worse self-reported depressive symptoms. Similarly, post-acute COVID-19 sequelae was associated with initial analysis for COVID-19 severity, upper respiratory disease (URD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), OAD, heart disease, and higher depressive symptoms. We conclude that increased COVID-19 illness severity and the presence of post-acute COVID-19 sequelae may be more common in WTC responders with chronic diseases than in those responders without chronic disease processes resulting from exposures at the WTC disaster.

Keywords: 9/11 disaster; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; severity; comorbidities; post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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