COVID-19 in Patients With a Past History of Chemical War Injury: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Iran

Emami, Amir; Pezeshkian, FatemehSadat; Javanmardi, Fatemeh; Akbari, Ali; Asadi-Pooya, Ali A.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19 is associated with a different presenting clinical picture or a more severe course of illness in people with a past history of chemical war injury. METHODS: This is a multicenter retrospective study in Fars Province, Iran, from August 22 to October 4, 2020. People with a past history of chemical war injury and COVID-19 were studied. Two age- and sex-matched control groups, double the size of the patient group each, from the same database of patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized at the same time (ie, healthy controls and pseudocontrols). RESULTS: A total of 46 people with a past history of chemical war injury, 92 healthy controls, and 92 pseudocontrols were studied. People with COVID-19 and a past history of chemical war injury had a significantly higher rate of chest pain compared with others. There were no other clinical differences between the groups. Mortality rate was 17.39%, 15.21%, and 27.17% in people with a past history of chemical war injury, the control group, and the pseudocontrol group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A past history of a chemical war injury does not add to the risk of COVID-19 and does not significantly modify its clinical picture either.