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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) trends, patient demographics, disease types and hospitalisation duration within the Respiratory Medicine Department over three distinct phases: pre-COVID-19, COVID-19 and post-COVID-19., Design: Retrospective analysis using electronic medical records of patients with TB admitted between June 2018 and June 2023 was done to explore the impact of COVID-19 on patients with TB. The study employed a meticulous segmentation into pre-COVID-19, COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 eras., Setting: National Institute of Medical Science Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: Primary outcome includes patients admitted to the Respiratory Medicine Department of the hospital and secondary outcome involves the duration of hospital stay., Results: The study encompassed 1845 subjects across the three eras, revealing a reduction in TB incidence during the post-COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 period (p<0.01). Substantial demographic shifts were observed, with 5.2% decline in TB incidence among males in the post-COVID-19 era (n=529) compared with the pre-COVID-19 era (n=606). Despite the decrease, overall TB incidence remained significantly higher in males (n=1460) than females (n=385), with consistently elevated rates in rural (65.8%) as compared with the urban areas (34.2%). Extended hospital stays were noted in the post-COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 era (p<0.01)., Conclusion: The study underscores the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TB landscape and hospitalisation dynamics. Notably, patient burden of TB declined during the COVID-19 era, with a decline in the post-COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 era. Prolonged hospitalisation in the post-COVID-19 period indicates the need for adaptive healthcare strategies and the formulation of public health policies in a post-pandemic context. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the evolving TB scenario, emphasising the necessity for tailored healthcare approaches in the aftermath of a global health crisis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: The evolving challenge of persistent symptoms post-Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), particularly debilitating cardio-pulmonary manifestations, necessitates further exploration. Our study aimed to assess the cardio-pulmonary complications in patients a year after hospital discharge from severe COVID-19, contrasting these with findings from a non-COVID group., Methods: The OneCoV2 study, a prospective, case-control study, was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in northern India. We enrolled 43 subjects, with a mean age of 25.57 ± 7.94 years (COVID group) and 27.30 ± 8.17 years (non-COVID group). Comprehensive tests included pulmonary function tests, cardiac function tests, 6-min walk tests, and laboratory investigations., Results: Significant differences were found in the pulmonary function [forced vital capacity (FVC) (p = 0.037), forced expiratory flow (FEF) 25-75 % (p = 0.013)], and cardiac function [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (p = 0.032), heart rate (HR) (p = 0.047)], along with the six-minute walk test results between the two groups. In the COVID group, Pearson's correlation showed a negative correlation between FVC and C-reactive protein (CRP) [r = -0.488, p = 0.007] and a positive correlation between the six-minute walk test [r = 0.431, p = 0.003] and HR [r = 0.503, p = 0.013]., Conclusions: Our data suggest that pulmonary abnormalities are prevalent in COVID patients even after 1-year of hospital discharge. Cardiac biomarkers also show an inclination towards the COVID group. While we found significant correlations involving some parameters like FVC, CRP, HR, and results from the six-minute walk test, we did not find any significant correlations with the other tested parameters in our study., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Bhumi Chaturvedi,1 Sourav Debnath,1 Hemant Bareth,1 Preeti Raj,2 Pratima Singh,3 Mahaveer Singh,4 Deepak Nathiya,1,5,6 Balvir Singh Tomar5– 7 1Department of Pharmacy Practice, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India; 2School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK; 3Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; 4Department of Endocrinology, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India; 5Department of Clinical Studies, Fourth Hospital of Yulin (Xingyuan), Yulin, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Clinical Sciences, Shenmu Hospital, Shenmu, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China; 7Institute of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jaipur, Rajasthan, IndiaCorrespondence: Mahaveer Singh, Department of Endocrinology, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Nims University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Email drms.mamcmed@gmail.comIntroduction: The ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic include potentially deleterious impacts on bone health.Aim: This research aimed to ascertain the effects of COVID-19 on the bone health of obese and non-obese Indian individuals.Methods: We executed a case-control study enrolling individuals who recovered from COVID-19. Participants were stratified into obese and non-obese groups based on their BMI. Comprehensive assessments encompassed anthropometric evaluations, laboratory tests, and bone mineral density (BMD) measurements using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).Results: From April to July 2022, we enrolled obese (n = 27, mean BMI = 30.54 ± 4.51 kg/m 2) and non-obese (n = 23, mean BMI = 21.97 ± 2.20 kg/m 2) individuals. The cohort’s average age was 36.08 ± 15.81 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.6:1. There was a difference in BMD, especially at the total hip, between the two groups. BMD at the spine (L1-L4), the neck of the femur, and ultra-distal radius were consistent across both groups. Weight exhibited a significant positive correlation with BMD at L1-L4 (r = 0.40, p = 0.003) and the left femur total (r = 0.27, p = 0.001). Haemoglobin levels were lower in the obese group compared to their non-obese counterparts (12.3 ± 2.0 vs 13.6 ± 1.9, p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis underscored weight as a crucial predictor for BMD at the spine (L1-L4, p = 0.003) and total hip (p = 0.001).Conclusion: Even with advanced age, obese post-COVID-19 individuals demonstrate a higher bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip than non-obese subjects.Keywords: COVID-19, obesity, bone mineral density, osteopenia, fracture risk