Association of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease with COVID-19 in Africa: scoping review protocol

Background: COVID-19 caused devastating effects on global healthcare systems. The el derly and people with chronic comorbidities were at a particularly high risk of mortality and mor bidity. However, the evidence on the association of COVID-19 severity with noncommunicable dis eases (NCDs) in the African population is scarce. Objective: The aim is to estimate COVID-19 sever ity among African patients with hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and its implications for case management. Methods: We will adhere to the extension for Scoping Reviews of PRISMA (PRISMA-ScR). The following electronic databases will be searched: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, and Joanna Briggs Institute. The search will be conducted after the publication of this protocol. Two reviewers will extract data from articles published after March 2020 without language restrictions. A descriptive analysis of the important findings and a narrative synthesis of the results will serve as the basis for interpretation. Expected results and conclusions: This scoping review is expected to determine the odds of patients with chronic comorbidities to progress to severe stages of COVID-19. The review will generate an evidence-based and set foun dation for recommendations toward the establishment of surveillance systems and referral guide lines for the management of NCDs in the face of COVID-19 and future pandemics.