tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
World J Psychiatry
. 2022 Jan 19;12(1):140-150.
doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i1.140.
Prevalence and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in inpatients with schizophrenia in Wuhan, China
Hong-Wei Sheng[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hong-Gang Wang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Chun-Zhi Wang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jiang Wu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Li-Jian Huo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ruo-Xi Wang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yong-Jie Zhou[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Xiang-Yang Zhang[SUP] 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: In contrast to many Western countries, China has maintained its large psychiatric hospitals. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in inpatients with schizophrenia (SCZ) are unclear.
Aim: To assess the prevalence of COVID-19 among inpatients with SCZ and compare the infected to uninfected SCZ patients in a Wuhan psychiatric hospital.
Methods: We retrospectively collected demographic characteristics and clinical profiles of all SCZ patients with COVID-19 at Wuhan's Youfu Hospital.
Results: Among the 504 SCZ patients, 84 had COVID-19, and we randomly sampled 174 who were uninfected as a comparison group. The overall prevalence of COVID-19 in SCZ patients was 16.7%. Among the 84 SCZ patients with confirmed COVID-19, the median age was 54 years and 76.2% were male. The most common symptom was fever (82%), and less common symptoms were cough (31%), poor appetite (20%), and fatigue (16%). Compared with SCZ patients without COVID-19, those with COVID-19 were older (P = 0.006) and significantly lighter (P = 0.002), and had more comorbid physical diseases (P = 0.001). Surprisingly, those infected were less likely to be smokers (< 0.001) or to be treated with clozapine (P = 0.03). Further logistic regression showed that smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 5.61], clozapine treated (OR = 2.95), and male (OR = 3.48) patients with relatively fewer comorbid physical diseases (OR = 0.098) were at a lower risk for COVID-19. SCZ patients with COVID-19 presented primarily with fever, but only one-third had a cough, which might otherwise be the most common mode of transmission between individuals.
Conclusion: Two unexpected protective factors for COVID-19 among SCZ inpatients are smoking and clozapine treatment.
Keywords: Epidemiology; Inpatient; Mental health; Schizophrenia.
. 2022 Jan 19;12(1):140-150.
doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i1.140.
Prevalence and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in inpatients with schizophrenia in Wuhan, China
Hong-Wei Sheng[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hong-Gang Wang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Chun-Zhi Wang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jiang Wu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Li-Jian Huo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ruo-Xi Wang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yong-Jie Zhou[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Xiang-Yang Zhang[SUP] 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35111585
- PMCID: PMC8783160
- DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i1.140
Abstract
Background: In contrast to many Western countries, China has maintained its large psychiatric hospitals. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in inpatients with schizophrenia (SCZ) are unclear.
Aim: To assess the prevalence of COVID-19 among inpatients with SCZ and compare the infected to uninfected SCZ patients in a Wuhan psychiatric hospital.
Methods: We retrospectively collected demographic characteristics and clinical profiles of all SCZ patients with COVID-19 at Wuhan's Youfu Hospital.
Results: Among the 504 SCZ patients, 84 had COVID-19, and we randomly sampled 174 who were uninfected as a comparison group. The overall prevalence of COVID-19 in SCZ patients was 16.7%. Among the 84 SCZ patients with confirmed COVID-19, the median age was 54 years and 76.2% were male. The most common symptom was fever (82%), and less common symptoms were cough (31%), poor appetite (20%), and fatigue (16%). Compared with SCZ patients without COVID-19, those with COVID-19 were older (P = 0.006) and significantly lighter (P = 0.002), and had more comorbid physical diseases (P = 0.001). Surprisingly, those infected were less likely to be smokers (< 0.001) or to be treated with clozapine (P = 0.03). Further logistic regression showed that smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 5.61], clozapine treated (OR = 2.95), and male (OR = 3.48) patients with relatively fewer comorbid physical diseases (OR = 0.098) were at a lower risk for COVID-19. SCZ patients with COVID-19 presented primarily with fever, but only one-third had a cough, which might otherwise be the most common mode of transmission between individuals.
Conclusion: Two unexpected protective factors for COVID-19 among SCZ inpatients are smoking and clozapine treatment.
Keywords: Epidemiology; Inpatient; Mental health; Schizophrenia.