Covid-19 positive and schizophrenic patients suffered a "
loss of chance
" compared to non-schizophrenic patients in France during the first wave, according to researchers who observed higher mortality in this population.
Patients with this mental illness were also "
less frequently admitted to intensive care units than others (23.7% versus 28.4%)
" according to the authors of this study - psychiatrists, resuscitators and statisticians of the AP-HM (public assistance hospitals in Marseille) - published in the specialist journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.
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The researchers analyzed the data of the 50,750 Covid-19 positive patients hospitalized in France between February and June 2020 - provided they had spent more than 24 hours in the hospital - among whom 823 were schizophrenic.
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness characterized by a set of highly variable symptoms, social withdrawal, cognitive difficulties, even delusions and hallucinations, according to Inserm.
"
We observed a difference in the evaluation and decision-making concerning these patients, what we see at the end is that they die sooner than the others
", summed up to AFP Guillaume Fond , psychiatrist, teacher and researcher of the AP-HM, and first author of the study.
The excess mortality of schizophrenic patients is due to several factors, according to Mr. Fond, who advances several hypotheses: "
they are patients more resistant to care, in a context where caregivers are overwhelmed
", adding that schizophrenia "
accelerates aging
" .
"
A schizophrenic patient counts as two patients in terms of nursing care, especially if he has behavioral problems, but this overload of work is not taken into account,
" says Mr. Fond.
According to him, "
even if it is not politically correct, when one announces on the telephone a patient of nursing home and schizophrenic, it is a certain loss of luck
".
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The excess mortality was especially strong in the 65-80 age group according to the researcher, where the difference between the group with mental illness and the “
control
” group is 8%.
Schizophrenics are "
very isolated patients who are more likely to ask not to be resuscitated,
" he adds.
They also have more comorbid factors, such as hypertension or diabetes.
One of the researchers' recommendations is "
that the staff of these units be better trained in psychiatry, and that this training be valued by the hospital
".