Severity and Situation of Asbestosis in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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 unexposed-asbestos 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.