The SARs-CoV-2 virus can infect anyone. However, its symptoms and severity may vary from person to person. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), age remains the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes. "Compared with ages 18–29 years, the risk of death is 25 times higher in those ages 50–64 years, 60 times higher in those ages 65–74 years, 140 times higher in those ages 75–84 years, and 340 times higher in those ages 85+ years," the US Health Body elaborates, adding that underlying medical conditions, such as Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) and diabetes can also contribute to the risk.
Now a new research from King's College London has found that in the UK, people with severe mental illness were at a greater risk of death from all causes following COVID-19 infection compared to those without severe mental illness.
Also Read: No COVID Antibodies After 3 Or More Vaccinations: New Study Reveals People Most At Risk Of Infection
Research Findings
The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, analysed data from over 660,000 UK patients from February 2020 to April 2021. It included 7,146 people with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia and psychosis, 50% of whom were at an increased risk of death from all causes following COVID-19 infection.
Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health followed up with the participants for at least 12 months before the time of first recorded infection, or the index date.
It was established that Black Caribbean/Black African people were at a 22% higher risk of death following COVID infection than White people, regardless of whether they had or did not have a severe mental illness.
The study also revealed regional differences, which shared:
- On average, risk of death following COVID-19 infection was higher among Northern UK regions compared to Southern regions.
- Those in Northern Ireland, the East Midlands and the North-East were at between 24-28% increased risk of death compared to those in London.
What Study Authors Said
"We are the first group to use the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to understand the impact of COVID-19 on premature morbidity among people with severe mental illness, making this one of the largest studies of its kind," said Alex Dregan, the study's senior author and Senior Lecturer in psychiatric epidemiology at King's College.
"Previous research has shown that these health inequalities exist but our study really demonstrates how the pandemic has exacerbated them.
"We now need to try to understand why this is happening and see if there is a pattern in how these people do or do not seek and access services," he added.
Also Read: Study Finds Long COVID Can Occur In People Who’ve Tested Negative For COVID: Know The Signs
The study is part of a Health Foundation funded project called COVID-19 Ethnic Inequalities in Mental health and Multimorbidities (COVE-IMM).
Dr Jayati Das-Munshi, who is the lead author and principal investigator on the COVE-IMM project and co-lead of the platform for cohorts and quantitative methods at the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, said, "These are stark findings and highlight the health inequalities that exist for people living with severe mental illness, people from racialized groups and people from different regions of the country. We still need to learn more about the experiences of these groups which we are doing through in-depth interview research and we also need to understand the gap in how our services provide for these vulnerable people. The pandemic shone a light on these inequalities, and we must learn from this to develop new policies and improve service provision."
Preventive Strategies
The study authors concluded by highlighting the importance of vaccines for serious mental illness patients and emphasised on the use of medical therapeutics early in the course of infection.
In addition, it is also important to take all necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Wearing a mask, maintaining social distance when sick, avoiding crowded places, and washing hands regularly can minimise the risk of COVID infection.
