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Risk of COVID-19 diagnosis and death in patients with mental illness: a cohort study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2021

Jeon-Yeon Seon
Affiliation:
Health Insurance Research Institute, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju-si, Republic of Korea
Sunjea Kim
Affiliation:
Health Insurance Research Institute, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju-si, Republic of Korea
Minha Hong
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Myongji Hospital, Hanyang University, College of Medicine, Goyang-si, Republic of Korea
Min Kyoung Lim
Affiliation:
Health Insurance Research Institute, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju-si, Republic of Korea
In-Hwan Oh*
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
*
Author for correspondence: In-Hwan Oh, E-mail: parenchyme@gmail.com
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Abstract

Aims

Patients with mental illness are vulnerable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection because of behavioural changes associated with cognitive deterioration, especially without their caregivers. While studies have reported that SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and severe clinical outcomes are high among patients with mental illness, there is a lack of quantitative research supporting this claim. This study investigates if SARS-CoV-2 infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related death are higher in patients with mental illness than among those without a mental disorder.

Methods

A cohort study was conducted using the COVID-19 database of the National Health Insurance Service in South Korea. A total of 123 480 patients aged ⩾20 years who visited a hospital between 1 January 2020 and 30 May 2020 were analysed. Mental disorder diagnoses and types were determined based on 2019 medical records, and a multivariate logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for SARS-CoV-2 infection and deaths.

Results

The ORs for SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.45–1.71) and COVID-19-related death (OR 2.18; 95% CI 1.57–3.04) were high among patients with mental illness. The OR of SARS-CoV-2 infection was higher among patients with severe mental illness (OR 2.60; 95% CI 2.21–3.06), dementia (OR 1.90; 95% CI 1.62–2.22) and substance use disorder (OR 4.98, 95% CI 3.60–6.88). The OR for COVID-19-related death was high among patients with severe mental illness (OR 3.53; 95% CI 1.82–6.83) and dementia (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.39–3.22).

Conclusions

Patients with mental illness are at high risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-related death. Behavioural changes associated with cognitive deterioration and long-term care facility residence increase SARS-CoV-2 infection risk, and severe medical conditions and delayed treatment increase the COVID-19-related mortality risk in patients with mental illness. Patients with mental illness are a priority target population for COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and it is important to plan prevention measures that address their needs.

Information

Type
Original Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Fig. 1. Flow chart for patients included in the analysis

Figure 1

Table 1. Patients baseline characteristics

Figure 2

Table 2. Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 infection rate and COVID-19 mortality by types of mental illness

Figure 3

Table 3. Odds ratio for risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 death

Figure 4

Fig. 2. Odds ratio for risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 death by types of mental illness. aAdjusted for health insurance premium, Charlson Comorbidity Index score. bAdjusted for sex, age, region of residence, health insurance premium, Charlson Comorbidity Index score. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval. Severe mental illness (F20–F29, F30, F31, F38, F39), depression disorder (F32, F33, F34), dementia (F00, F01, F02, F03), anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (F40, F41, F42), substance use disorder (F10–F19).