Report Finds No Link Between Antipsychotics, COVID-19 Deaths in SMI Patients

Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic data suggested thatindividuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders are more likely to die from illnesses related to COVID-19 than those without schizophrenia. More than a year later, why this population appears to be at increased risk of death from COVID-19 continues to remain unclear. Aresearch letter appearing today inJAMA Psychiatry found no association between antipsychotic use and mortality in adults with a serious mental illness (SMI) who were diagnosed with COVID-19.“An association between antipsychotic medication and increased risk of COVID-19 mortality has been reported in population-based studies, but these studies did not take psychiatric diagnosis into account,” wrote Katlyn Nemani, M.D., of the New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center and coll eagues.To examine the relationship between antipsychotic use and COVID-19 outcomes in patients with SMI, the researchers used data contained in the NYU Langone Health electronic health record system. The researchers included in their analysis adults who were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection between March 3, 2020, and February 17, 2021, and who had a preexisting diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder.A total of 464 patients (mean age, 53 years) were included, of which 196 (42.2%) were treated with antipsychotic medication. Forty-one patients (8.8%) died within 60 days of being diagnosed with COVID-19. “The 60-day case fatality rate ...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: antipsychotics bipolar disorder COVID-19 JAMA Psychiatry pandemic schizophrenia Source Type: research