La COVID-19 l'altitud i els que hi viuen.

Ben atents als efectes i a les informacions, no totes creïbles, de la pandèmia declarada per la OMS, el Dr. Eduardo Garrido i col·laboradors van trobar unes informacions que proposaven que en altitud hi havia menys contagis pel virus SARS-CoV-2-19 i que la seva malaltia, la COVID-19 era menys greu que a nivell del mar. Les informacions, però, no aportaven dades consistents i no s’els hi podia donar gaire credibilitat. De manera que van escriure un article científic proposant aprofundir en el tema abans de fer volar coloms i no tocar campanes abans de temps. Un servidor de vostès va tenir accés a l’article i afirmo que demanava sentit comú i estudiar més el problema. L’article va ser rebutjat per l’editor d’una prestigiosa revista científica dedicada precisament a l’altitud.

Resulta però, que uns dies després el mateix editor publica, i signa ell mateix, un article a l’esmentada revista. L’article ben escrit i amb sentit comú, ve a dir que encara ens falten dades per saber si l’altitud té alguna mena d’influència. 

Us adjunto el resum de l’article. 

El resum, o abstract, que us poso és el que hi ha a la xarxa de domini públic, per no caure en l’error de publicar textes que tenen Copyright i haver d’entomar després problemes. L’article complet és més dens i el podeu trobar fàcilment.

Lower Incidence of COVID-19 at High Altitude: Facts and Confounders.

Authors: Pun Matiram, Rachel Turner, Giacomo Strapazzon, Hermann Brugger, and Erik R. Swenson.  

Publisher: High Altitude Medicine & Biology, 2020.

The rapid transmission, increased morbidity, and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exhausted many health care systems and the global economy. Large variations in COVID-19 prevalence and incidence have been reported across and within many countries worldwide; however, this remains poorly understood. The variability and susceptibility across the world have been mainly attributed to differing socioeconomic status, burden of chronic diseases, access to health care, strength of health care systems, and early or late adoption of control measures. Environmental factors such as pollution, ambient temperature, humidity, and seasonal weather patterns at different latitudes may influence how severe the pandemic is and the incidence of infection in any part of the world. In addition, recent epidemiological data have been used to propose that altitude of residence may not only influence those environmental features considered key to lesser viral transmission, but also susceptibility to more severe forms of COVID-19 through hypoxic-hypobaria driven genomic or nongenomic adaptations specific to high-altitude populations. In this review, we critically examine these factors and attempt to determine based upon available scientific and epidemiological data whether living in high-altitude regions might be protective against COVID-19 as recent publications have claimed.

Afegeixo també, aquest comentari, en la mateixa línia de l’article previ, d’un grup d’anestessistes:

Lower Incidence of COVID-19 at High Altitude?

Authors: Anesthesiologists on the Front Line of Treating Surgical COVID-19 Patients

Publishers: New Rochelle. NY, August 3, 2020.

Despite recent reports of lower COVID-19 incidence among high-altitude populations, corrent data is insuficient to conclude that high-altitude is protective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as reported in the peer-reviewed journal High Altitude Medicine & Biology.

“The reported lower incidence of COVID-10 among high-altitude residents is quite intriguing  but epidemiological observations presented so far from high-altitude  regions are preliminary“ State Matiram Pun, MBBs, MSc, University of Calgary, Erik Swenson, MD University of Washington and Editor-in-Chief of High Altitude Medicine & Biology and coauthors.

The authors also conclude that there is currently little supporting evidence for any protective benefit of genètic or nongenomic adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia.

“We should avoid reaching the conclusion that any community has an innate protection from COVID-19 in the absence of robust evidence” state the authors. 

Resumint:

1. Que, per ara, no hi ha dades serioses que relacionin infectabilitat i gravetat de la COVID-19 amb l’altitud ni amb les ètnies que hi viuen. El temps ens dirà.

2. Que la competició per publicar i penjar-se la medalla corresponent és ferotge. I que qui té la paella pel mànec no dubta a fer de jutge i de part a la vegada i escombrar cap a casa. La Ciència potser és imparcial, però els "científics" si que tenen interessos. Com tothom.

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