Schizophrenia is the second-greatest risk factor for death from Covid-19 after old age, new research shows.
The mental health condition nearly triples the risk of dying from Covid-19 compared to a healthy person between the ages of 18 and 44.
The only group of people with a higher risk of death than those with schizophrenia are the elderly who, regardless of comorbidity, are much more likely to die.
Scientists don’t yet fully understand why people with schizophrenia are at an increased risk, but believe it may be due to a genetic error that inhibits their immune response.
People with schizophrenia live an average of two decades less than those without mental health problems and also suffer from increased illness due to lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, and side effects of some schizophrenia medications.
Other conditions that increased the risk of death include heart failure (60 percent increased risk), high blood pressure (38 percent), and diabetes (27 percent).
Men were found to be 69 percent more at risk of death than women, and non-white people (black, Asian, mixed race) were 47 percent more at risk compared to whites.
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The mental health condition nearly triples the risk of dying from Covid-19 compared to a healthy person between the ages of 18 and 44. Other conditions that increased the risk of death include heart failure (60 percent increased risk), high blood pressure (38 percent), and diabetes (27 percent)
Researchers at New York University studied anonymous medical records of more than 7,000 hospitalized Covid-19 patients, 75 of whom were medically diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Mortality was defined as death or discharge to hospice within 45 days of a positive test result for the coronavirus.
“Our findings illustrate that people with schizophrenia are extremely vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19,” said lead author Dr. Katlyn Nemani.
“With this new insight, healthcare providers for this group can better prioritize the distribution, testing and medical care of vaccines.”
Professor Shon Lewis from the University of Manchester, who was not involved in the study, said: “It is a good, robust study with important findings.
‘We have known for a while that people with schizophrenia in the UK have a life expectancy reduced by 18-20 years compared to the general population.
This dreadful statistic is largely due to the increased rates of cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic diseases due to lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, and side effects of some medications in people with schizophrenia.
This latest finding shows how good preventive care now urgently needs to target this incredibly vulnerable and disadvantaged population. They should be immediately prioritized in vaccination. ‘
Currently, the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Vaccination has prioritized all over-50s for the shot, as well as health professionals and the clinically extremely vulnerable, who are in the fourth priority slot before over-65s.
This group includes people with ‘severe mental illness’, which is not currently listed as being clinically extremely vulnerable, and people suffering from this condition do not give priority when it comes to receiving the vaccine.
The clinically highly vulnerable group includes chronic kidney disease and diabetes, which have a 1.23 and 1.27 times increased risk of death from Covid, respectively. This is overshadowed by the 2.67 mark for schizophrenia.
A spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care said: ‘The list of conditions used to identify individuals who may be clinically extremely vulnerable has been agreed by the four UK Chief Medical Officers and reflects the latest available evidence.
“Clinicians in the NHS can add any patient to the protected patient list, based on their own clinical judgment and an unbiased assessment of their needs.”
The clinically highly vulnerable vaccine priority group includes people with chronic kidney disease and diabetes, who were found to be 1.23 and 1.27 more at risk of death from Covid than a healthy person. This is overshadowed by the 2.67 mark for schizophrenia (stock)
Dr. Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: ‘The deadly consequences of Covid-19 for people with schizophrenia are very concerning and should act as a catalyst to ensure that this high-risk group of people are offered the vaccine the first opportunity.
Those living in the community should be supported during the vaccination process, while those in mental health wards or residential settings should not be forgotten or left behind.
‘People with a serious mental illness die on average 20 years earlier than the general population. The government must do everything it can to protect people with severe mental illness, intellectual disability and dementia from Covid-19. ‘
While people with schizophrenia were found to be at a much higher risk of death, those with anxiety and mood disorders were not.
This, the researchers say, indicates that there may be an unknown underlying mechanism that puts people with schizophrenia at increased risk.
Dr. Nemani says this could be a disruption to the immune system, possibly linked to the genetics of the condition.
“Now that we have a better understanding of the disease, we can explore more deeply what, if any, problems with the immune system may contribute to the high mortality rates in these patients with schizophrenia,” said senior author Dr. Donald Goff of NYU Langone.
Stephen Buckley, Head of Information at Mind, said: ‘While we welcome research into the links between serious mental health problems and Covid19, much more robust research is needed worldwide, including in the UK.
‘Research that leads to better health outcomes and quality of life for people with mental health problems is welcome.
Never has it been more important for people with mental health problems to get the support they need and deserve.
Anyone diagnosed with schizophrenia who is concerned about the impact of the coronavirus on their health should consult with their doctor to assess their situation.
In the UK, research has shown links between covid19 and factors such as poverty and ethnicity, so it’s really important that all of these links are better understood.
“In England, people with severe mental illness are 4.5 times more likely than average to die before they reach the age of 75 in England, if they don’t get proper support, so it’s very important that we try to explain the reasons. behind these bad health outcomes. ‘
The study is published today in JAMA Psychiatry.