Scientists at New York University in the United States have found that people with schizophrenia with coronavirus are three times more likely to die than people without mental disorders. At the same time, the risk of severe complications cannot be explained by a higher level of heart disease, diabetes and other factors. This is reported in an article published in JAMA Psychiatry.
The researchers analyzed 7348 case histories of men and women treated for COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic in New York hospitals between March 3 and May 31, 2020. Among them, 14 percent were identified who were diagnosed with schizophrenia, mood disorders, or anxiety. The researchers then calculated the mortality rate of patients within 45 days after testing positive for the virus.
It turned out that schizophrenia is the largest risk factor (2.7 times higher probability of death), and after reaching 75 years of age, the probability of death increases 35.7 times. In second place after schizophrenia was the male gender and heart disease.
New research suggests that there may be something in the very biology of schizophrenia that makes those who have it more vulnerable to COVID-19 and other viral infections. One possible explanation is a violation of the immune system.