Substance Use Disorder and Health Outcomes in COVID-19 —The Need for a Better Research Method to Determine Substance Use Exposure—Reply

In Reply We thank Christian et al for raising concerns that (1) chronic diseases, rather than substance use disorder (SUD), may be more directly responsible for adverse outcomes of COVID-19 infection and (2) SUD itself can cause chronic somatic and mental health disorders. Both concerns are valid and important. These suggest new directions for research to describe the relative impact of chronic diseases and SUD on outcomes of COVID-19 infection. We agree that a better understanding of how medications prescribed for opioid use disorder (eg, methadone or buprenorphine) alter COVID-19 risk among persons with this SUD would be an important scientific contribution.

Source: JAMA Psychiatry - September 1, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research