Covid-19 patients with schizophrenia may be at higher risk of death

A diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum may put them at a higher risk of Covid-19 malignancy and may also have a 2.7-fold higher risk for mortality within 45 days of a positive test, according to study results published in JAMA Psychiatry.

“This association may be due to socio-economic and environmental factors that contribute to exposure – such as full housing, institutional status, and lack of personal protective equipment,” said Dr. Katlyn Nemani, from the psychology department at New York University’s Langone Medical Center and two other colleagues wrote. “Because outcomes may vary with diagnosis, it is important to determine which infectious patients are at greater risk for adverse outcomes.”

The researchers found that, even after paying attention or adjusting for other risk factors such as smoking, hip tension, heart failure, diabetes, kidney disease, myocardial infarction, and cancer, the association of schizophrenia with a higher risk of death remained significant.

Spectrum disorders of schizophrenia include paranoid schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, hebephrenic or disorganized schizophrenia, residual schizophrenia, and undiagnosed schizophrenia.

People living with this disorder experience hallucinations, slurred speech, disorganized speech, paranoia, depression, impaired motor coordination, and upset, among psychotic symptoms- another mind.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the incidence of schizophrenia and psychiatric disorders in the U.S. is between 0.25% and 0.64%.

In this study, the researchers analyzed data of 7,348 adults for 45 days after being diagnosed with Covid-19 between March 3, 2020, and May 31, 2020, in a system medical in New York. Individuals who did not have medical records prior to the test were excluded.

The researchers then extracted psychiatric and co-medical diagnostic codes from their electronic health records using billing accounts and external claims along with patients ’hospital complications prior to their trial.

Since then, 75% of patients had a history of schizophrenia spectrum disorder. A further 7.7% had a history of mood disorder and 4.9% were diagnosed with anxiety disorder.

In total, 864 patients (11.8%) died or were admitted to hospital within 45 days as a result of a positive coronavirus test result. Diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum was significantly associated with 45-day mortality.

“In addition to systematic barriers to care and delays in treatment, adults with a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis may be more prone to COVID-19 death due to biological factors associated with the illness or psychotherapy- their minds, ”wrote the researchers.

They also found that the results of their analysis were consistent with the results of a South Korean national survey in which all citizens were given government-led trials and an enhanced study.

South Korean researchers reported an equal risk of disease but a higher risk of adverse clinical outcomes in patients with psychiatric disorders.

“While the mechanism behind this association is not clear, dysregulation is protective in determining possible genetic or property risk factors,” the researchers said.

Despite the complete study data that included a large number of patients positive for the coronavirus, the study has its own limitations. First, the accuracy of clinical psychiatric examinations in all patients could not be determined. Also, patients with a mental disorder such as schizophrenia may be less likely to seek professional help because of stigma, isolation, and systemic barriers to mental health care.

Finally, the researchers note that these findings could not be used as a generalization for other patients because the study of the health system occurred with great challenge at the peak time of the COVID- pandemic. 19.