Intellectual disability puts people at greater risk of dying earlier in life than the general population, for a variety of medical and institutional reasons. A new study from Jefferson Health examined how COVID-19 pandemic disease affected this group, which makes up 1-3% of the U.S. population. The study, published today in the Catalyst New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), found that intellectual disability was second only to older age as a risk factor for death from COVID-19.
“The chances of dying from COVID-19 are higher for those with intellectual disability than for people with congestive heart failure, kidney disease or lung disease,” said lead author Jonathan Gleason, MD, CEO of James D. and Mary Jo Danella Jefferson Health Quality Officer “It is a real achievement that we, as a healthcare community, have not yet achieved full value.”
The authors examined 64 million patient records from 547 healthcare organizations between January 2019 to November 2020 to understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic disease on patients with intellectual disabilities. They identified variables such as COVID-19, intellectual disability or other health conditions, as well as demographic factors such as age.
The results showed that those with intellectual disabilities were 2.5 times more likely to contract COVID-19, approximately 2.7 times more likely to be admitted to hospital and 5.9 times more likely to die from the disease than the general population .
“Our failure to protect these vulnerable people is heartbreaking,” says co-author Wendy Ross, MD, pediatric developmental and behavioral specialist and director for Jefferson Health’s Center for Autism and Diversity . “I believe that if we can design a system that is safe and accessible for people with intellectual disabilities, it will benefit us all. “
The authors write that patients with intellectual disabilities may be less able to comply with strategies that reduce the risk of infection, such as shelter and social distance. In addition, the researchers showed that these patients are more likely to have additional health conditions contributing to a more severe course of COVID-19 infection. The results of the study highlight how these issues are getting worse in this population.
“We need to understand more about what’s going on with these patients,” Dr. Gleason said. “I believe that these patients and their carers should be prioritized for immunization and health care services. We should think about why we have failed the vulnerable population this, and how we can better serve them during this health crisis, and in the future, “Dr. Gleason says. “Even before the pandemic, people with intellectual disabilities have experienced poor health outcomes. We need to do much better.”
The authors suggest key action steps that require a quick response. “First, people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers should be prioritized for vaccinations by organizations that set federal guidelines, including the CDC,” Dr. Gleason said. “Second, federal and state healthcare regulatory offices should measure accessibility, quality, and safety in this population to monitor our ability to improve health outcomes for these patients. the United States should redesign the model of care for people with intellectual disabilities. “
“As an organization that is passionate about advocating for the health of one of the most remote numbers – those with intellectual disabilities (IDs) – we have seen the need to prioritize people with ID as a high risk group during this pandemic. . It is shocking to hear that people with ID are nearly six times more likely to die from COVID-19, “said Alicia Bazzano, MD, PhD, MPH, Chief Health Officer at the Special Olympics. Most health authorities recognize that people with ID who receive COVID-19 have a much higher risk of dying. The Special Olympics is grateful to the Jefferson team for shedding light on these disastrous numbers. “
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Materials provided by Thomas Jefferson University. Note: Content can be edited for style and length.