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https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/959884
COVID-19: Greater Mortality Among Psych Patients Remains a Mystery
Pauline Anderson
September 28, 2021
Antipsychotics are not responsible for the increased COVID-related death rate among patients with serious mental illness (SMI), new research shows.
The significant increase in COVID-19 mortality that continues to be reported among those with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder "underscores the importance of protective interventions for this group, including priority vaccination," study investigator Katlyn Nemani, MD, research assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, told Medscape Medical News.
The study was published online September 22 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Antipsychotic treatment was not significantly associated with mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.00; 95% CI, 0.48 – 2.08; P = .99).
"This suggests that antipsychotic medication is unlikely to be responsible for the increased risk we've observed in this population, although this finding needs to be replicated," said Nemani.
Surprise Finding
A diagnosis of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder was associated with an almost threefold increased risk for mortality compared with bipolar disorder (OR, 2.88; 95% CI, 1.36 – 6.11; P = .006).
"This was a surprising finding," said Nemani. "A possible explanation is differences in immune function associated with schizophrenia spectrum illness."...
COVID-19: Greater Mortality Among Psych Patients Remains a Mystery
Pauline Anderson
September 28, 2021
Antipsychotics are not responsible for the increased COVID-related death rate among patients with serious mental illness (SMI), new research shows.
The significant increase in COVID-19 mortality that continues to be reported among those with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder "underscores the importance of protective interventions for this group, including priority vaccination," study investigator Katlyn Nemani, MD, research assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, told Medscape Medical News.
The study was published online September 22 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Antipsychotic treatment was not significantly associated with mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.00; 95% CI, 0.48 – 2.08; P = .99).
"This suggests that antipsychotic medication is unlikely to be responsible for the increased risk we've observed in this population, although this finding needs to be replicated," said Nemani.
Surprise Finding
A diagnosis of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder was associated with an almost threefold increased risk for mortality compared with bipolar disorder (OR, 2.88; 95% CI, 1.36 – 6.11; P = .006).
"This was a surprising finding," said Nemani. "A possible explanation is differences in immune function associated with schizophrenia spectrum illness."...
