Risk of cytomegalovirus diseases among coronavirus disease survivors: A retrospective cohort study

This study was aimed at investigating the risk of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors. In this retrospective cohort study, we used the TriNetX research network to identify adults with and without COVID-19 between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Propensity score matching was used to match the patients with and without COVID-19. The primary outcome was the risk of CMV disease during the 90-day follow-up period. Two matched cohorts comprising 2 501 634 patients with balanced baseline characteristics were created using propensity score matching. During the follow-up period, patients with COVID-19 had a higher risk of CMV disease than those without COVID-19 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.55; 95% confidence interval: 2.01-3.23). The higher risk of CMV disease in the COVID-19 cohort compared with that of the non-COVID-19 cohort remained unchanged in the subgroup analyses by sex (men: HR, 1.85 [1.38-2.47]; women: HR, 2.31 [1.63-3.27]), age (18-64 years: HR, 2.21 [1.71-2.85]; >= 65 years: HR, 1.97 [1.20-3.25]), obesity (HR, 1.54 [1.04-2.30]), diabetes mellitus (HR, 1.50 [1.08-2.08]), cancer (HR, 3.10 [1.95-4.92]), glucocorticoid use (HR, 3.14 [2.45-4.02]), transplantation (HR, 1.38 [1.08-1.77]), and unvaccinated status (HR, 2.37 [1.82-3.08]). In conclusion, COVID-19 can increase the risk of CMV disease. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of CMV disease in patients with COVID-19.