CLINICAL COURSE OF MEASLES IN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT A HISTORY OF COVID-19: A PROSPECTIVE COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

The aim of this prospective comparative study was to evaluate clinical and epidemiological differences in measles among patients aged ≥14 years with and without a history of COVID-19 and to explore whether previous SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with the subsequent course of measles. The study included 141 patients with laboratory-confirmed measles who received inpatient treatment in infectious disease departments of healthcare facilities in the Fergana Region: 48 with a history of COVID-19 and 93 without a history of COVID-19. Demographic, epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiological variables were assessed. Hospital stay was longer in patients with a history of COVID-19 (6.25±1.77 vs. 4.56±1.75 days; p<0.001); these patients were also admitted earlier in the course of illness (3.10±0.56 vs. 3.86±0.88 days; p<0.001), and exanthem appeared earlier (1.38±0.49 vs. 1.90±0.63 days; p<0.001). Radiologically confirmed pneumonia was more frequent in the prior-COVID-19 group (41.7% vs. 17.2%; p=0.002). Most other clinical symptoms were comparable between groups. Elevated blood pressure was more frequent numerically in the prior-COVID-19 group (70.8% vs. 53.8%; p=0.076), and the proportion of unvaccinated patients was also higher (33.3% vs. 22.6%). These findings indicate an association between a history of COVID-19 and longer hospitalization and more frequent radiographic pneumonia in patients with measles; however, the observational design does not establish causality.