Dementia patients are at increased risk of developing the new coronavirus, suggesting the findings of a new, large-scale study that found those with cognitive impairment are more likely to be hospitalized as a result. of a COVID-19 infection.
For the study, published Tuesday in Alzheimer & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, researchers from Case Western University analyzed electronic health record data from nearly 62 million adult Americans between February and August 2020. Of the 15,770 patients with COVID-19, 810 of according to the study, they also had dementia.
“This study highlights the need to protect patients with dementia, especially those who are black, as part of the strategy to control the pandemic,” the researchers concluded. (iStock)
After adjusting for several factors, such as age, gender, and race, the researchers found that those suffering from dementia were twice as likely to contract the new disease as those not. Dementia patients were also more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19, and were found to be more likely to die from it, the researchers found.
More specifically, the hospitalization risk for dementia patients was approximately 59%, more than double compared to those not suffering from the condition. Meanwhile, the overall mortality risk in the study was about 5%, but for 20 dementia patients, it increased.
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The study also found that black patients with dementia were even more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than in patients with white dementia. About 73% of black dementia patients were hospitalized for COVID-19, compared with 53% for white patients.
In addition, approximately 23% of black patients with dementia died during the study period, while 19% of white patients died with dementia.
“This study highlights the need to protect patients with dementia, especially those who are black, as part of the strategy to control the pandemic,” the researchers concluded.
“Comparing the odds of COVID-19 in patients with dementia before and after adjusting for COVID-19 risk factors, it is clear that these factors, many of which are also risk factors for dementia (eg cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, asthma, chronic kidney disease) has indeed contributed to the high risk of COVID – 19 in patients with dementia, “they continued.
“Although a greater percentage of patients with dementia may live in nursing homes and chronic care facilities, and close encounters tend to transmit the virus, the impact of dementia on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection remains after the “yet,” they noted, “even after adjusting for these risk factors, patients with dementia still had a high risk for COVID-19 compared to patients without dementia.”
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“Reasons for this perceived high risk of viral infection are the following: first, certain residual and unmeasured confusing factors (e.g., socioeconomic determinants, behavioral factors, lifestyle) may have contributed to the increased risk of COVID-19 in patients with dementia. ‘Patients with dementia may be particularly prone to SARS-CoV-2 infection because their impaired memory limits their ability to meet recommendations for social distance, mask wear or hand washing,’ ‘they said of one possibility.
In general, more research is needed to understand the reasoning why dementia patients are at greater risk for COVID-19 and serious outcomes, the researchers said, pointing out that their findings’ could serve as a basic study of the initial COVID’s. -19 risk, racial diversity, and lead to observations in patients with dementia across the United States. ‘