Pre-existing conditions in Hispanics/Latinxs that are COVID-19 risk factors.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exposed health care disparities in minority groups including Hispanics/Latinxs (HL). Studies of COVID-19 risk factors for HL have relied on county-level data. We investigated COVID-19 risk factors in HL using individual-level, electronic health records in a Los Angeles health system between March 9, 2020, and August 31, 2020. Of 9,287 HL tested for SARS-CoV-2, 562 were positive. HL constituted an increasing percentage of all COVID-19 positive individuals as disease severity escalated. Multiple risk factors identified in Non-Hispanic/Latinx whites (NHL-W), like renal disease, also conveyed risk in HL. Pre-existing nonrheumatic mitral valve disorder was a risk factor for HL hospitalization but not for NHL-W COVID-19 or HL influenza hospitalization, suggesting it may be a specific HL COVID-19 risk. Admission laboratory values also suggested that HL presented with a greater inflammatory response. COVID-19 risk factors for HL can help guide equitable government policies and identify at-risk populations.
['Chang|Timothy S|TS|', 'Ding|Yi|Y|', 'Freund|Malika K|MK|', 'Johnson|Ruth|R|', 'Schwarz|Tommer|T|', 'Yabu|Julie M|JM|', 'Hazlett|Chad|C|', 'Chiang|Jeffrey N|JN|', 'Wulf|David A|DA|', '|||', 'Geschwind|Daniel H|DH|', 'Butte|Manish J|MJ|', 'Pasaniuc|Bogdan|B|']
public health virology