Asbestosis Comorbidity with COVID-19 in Severity and Situation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Attapon Cheepsattayakorn, Ruangrong Cheepsattayakorn, Porntep Siriwanarangsun
A comprehensive search was carried out in mainstream bibliographic databases or Medical Subject
Headings, including ScienDirect, PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science. The search was applied
to the articles that were published between 2003 and early 2024. With strict literature search and
screening processes, it yielded 3 articles from 64 articles of initial literature database. Asbestos, a
heterogenous group of hydrated magnesium silicate minerals with a tendency of fiber separation.
Asbestos-associated pleural fibrosis (pleural plaque or diffuse plural fibrosis), pleural thickening, or
asbestosis are the majority of nonmalignant-asbestos-associated-disease conditions. Nevertheless,
there is close association between of the nonmalignant-disease presence and the malignancy risk,
particularly, lung cancer (complicated with pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma and cigarette smoking).
One of search study clearly demonstrated rising trend of mortality in people aged 80 years and older
among the three search studies, whereas COVID-19 pneumonia patients requiring respiratory support
were higher among patients with history of asbestos exposure or asbestosis, compared to unexposedasbestos patients (p = 0.015).
In conclusion, The detection of an independent relation in small sample of subjects may be precluded
by confounding covariables, such as smokers, having more comorbidity, more frequently male, and
older age. In occupational asbestos exposure, respiratory support was required higher, compared to
unexposed-asbestos patients. Proactive and cooperative participation can protect people with asbestos
exposure from COVID-19 comorbidity.
