Adults with Down syndrome are more likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population

A new study by an international team of researchers found that adults with Down syndrome are more likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population, supporting the need to prioritize people with the disorder genetic.

Researchers found that adults with Down syndrome were approximately three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population. This increased risk was particularly pronounced in the fifth decade of life: A 40-year-old man with Down syndrome had the same risk of dying from COVID-19 as someone 30 years older in the general population.

The study was published this week in the Lancet’s EClinical Medicine.

“Our results, which are based on more than 1,000 COVID-19 specific patients with Down syndrome, show that people with Down syndrome often have more severe symptoms in hospital and experience high levels of complications. lungs are associated with increased mortality, ”said Anke Huels, an associate professor of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, and a first author in the study. “These findings have an impact on the immune and clinical management of COVID-19 patients with Down syndrome and reinforce the need to prioritize individuals with Down syndrome for vaccination.”

Down syndrome is a genetic condition usually caused by the trisomy – or extra copy – of chromosome 21. This extra copy changes how a baby’s body and brain change. development, which can lead to mental and physical challenges.

To collect data for the study, the T21RS COVID-19 Initiative launched an international study of clinicians and carers of people with Down syndrome called COVID-19 between April and October, 2020. Respondents came to the The survey is mainly from Europe, the United States, Latin America. and India. (The study was available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Bengali, Hindi and Mandarin).

“We are delighted to see, in part based on our findings, that the CDC included Down syndrome in the list of ‘high risk medical conditions,’ which will be a priority for those with this genetic predisposition for vaccination, “said co-author Alberto Costa, professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of Western Reserve School of Medicine.” Similar decisions have been made in the United Kingdom and Spain, and we hope that other countries will follow soon. “

Costa is among the leaders of a large and diverse group of physicians and scientists from seven countries and more than a dozen institutes collaborating to study the effects of COVID-19 in people with Down syndrome, called the Campaign T21RS COVID-19.

The T21RS COVID-19 Initiative is part of an effort established in March 2020 by the Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21RS) to collect and disseminate scientific information to support communities of people with Down syndrome and their families internationally during the pandemic. T21RS was founded in 2014 and is the largest professional Down syndrome research association in the world.

Costa chairs the T21RS Clinical Research Committee and is one of the founding members of the T21RS COVID-19 Initiative. The other members of the T21RS COVID-19 Enterprise management team are Huels and Stephanie Sherman, from Emory University, Andre Strydom, from King’s College London, and Mara Dierssen, from Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology.

Funding for the study was provided by: Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action, Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group-USA, GiGi’s Playhouse, Jerome Lejeune Foundation, LuMind IDSC Foundation, Matthews Foundation, Down Syndrome Association, National Action Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices. Costa received support from the Alana USA Foundation, the Infectious Diseases Association of America and the Cleveland-based Awakening Angels Foundation.

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