Demographic and Clinical Factors Related to Severe COVID-19 Infection and Mortality in Patients With Schizophrenia

EKİNCİ O., Erkan Ekinci A.

Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, vol.210, no.4, pp.257-263, 2022 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 210 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000001500
  • Journal Name: Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ATLA Religion Database, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, MEDLINE, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo, Violence & Abuse Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.257-263
  • Keywords: COVID-19, mortality, Schizophrenia, severe
  • Uşak University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

We aimed to explore the prevalence and determinants of severe COVID-19 disease and mortality in patients with schizophrenia in this study. We conducted a retrospective observational study of 1620 patients with schizophrenia. Of the 1620 patients, 52 (3.2%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-19. Among SARS-CoV-2-positive patients, 40 patients were hospitalized, and 17 patients required intensive care unit admission due to COVID-19 (76.9% and 32.7%, respectively). Severe COVID-19 disease was noted in 17 patients (32.7%) requiring intubation. In the logistic regression analysis, antipsychotic dose, and comorbidity score were independently associated with a greater risk of severe COVID-19 disease in patients with schizophrenia. Our study suggests that factors such as age, sex, comorbidities, and a daily antipsychotic dose may have effects on the poor outcome of SARS-CoV-2 disease in schizophrenia patients. In addition, the current findings propose that mortality may be associated with an older age, comorbidity score, and a longer duration of psychiatric disease among the SARS-CoV-2-positive patients with schizophrenia. However, the findings of our study should be verified in prospective and larger sample studies.