Substance use disorders not associated with COVID-19 related deaths

[ad_1]

New research from Boston Medical Center finds that substance use disorders do not increase the likelihood of dying from COVID-19. Posted in Substance abuse: research and treatmentThe study showed that an increased risk of severe COVID-19 in people with SUD may be the result of coexisting medical conditions.

Several large cohort studies since early in the pandemic have shown higher rates of hospitalization, intubation, and death from COVID-19 in SUD patients, while other studies have found no association between SUD-related deaths and COVID-19 or mixed outcomes depending on the substance use pattern. Given this conflicting data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified people with SUD as having an increased risk of severe COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between SUD-related death and COVID-19-related mortality.

BMC is known for excellent clinical care and innovative research related to substance use disorder. Since the early days of the pandemic, BMC has also been a leader in treating individuals with COVID-19, including people with complex medical and social needs. These findings showing a similar likelihood of complications associated with COVID-19 in patients hospitalized with and without SUD help expand knowledge of infectious complications of SUD.


Angela McLaughlin, MD, MPH, first author, fellow in infectious diseases at Boston Medical Center

Because the BMC sees such a high proportion of patients who abuse substances, it was a convenient study site: Approximately 14% of the population studied had SUD, which exceeds the national average of 10.8% in people 18 years of age or older. Researchers reviewed the medical records of 353 adults without SUD and 56 adults with SUD who were admitted to Boston Medical Center early in the COVID-19 pandemic and compared the likelihood of COVID-19-related complications between individuals with and without substance use disorders. They compared the relationship between COVID-19, mortality, clinical complications, and resource use.

“Early in the pandemic, BMC developed protocols to closely monitor complications related to COVID-19 and manage them quickly in all hospitalized patients,” said senior investigator Sabrina Asumu, MD, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine. at Boston Tchobanian University and Avedissian College of Medicine. “The current findings suggest that such an approach may be beneficial for many patients, including individuals with substance use disorders.”

In this retrospective study of patients admitted to a safety-net hospital during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, SUD was not associated with the primary outcome of COVID-19-related inpatient mortality. Secondary analysis showed that those with and without SUD had similar clinical complications associated with COVID-19, including secondary infections, renal failure requiring dialysis, acute liver injury, venous thromboembolism, cardiac complications, and “any complications.” It should be noted that some clinical outcomes such as stroke were generally uncommon. Similarly, there was no difference in secondary resource use outcomes between the two groups. In contrast to other studies, this found a similar likelihood of mechanical ventilation and admission to the intensive care unit in patients with and without SUD. Although patients with SUD presented to hospital early in the course of the disease, their total length of hospital stay at the end was similar to patients without ADHD. Such insights into the clinical complications and resource use patterns of patients with SUD and COVID-19 can help clinicians anticipate the course of infection and healthcare needs in this high-risk group.

There were some notable limitations to the study. The results are from a single site, which may limit the generalizability of the findings despite the racial and ethnic diversity of BMC patients. Second, the data presented is from the first phase of COVID-19 in the United States, so trends may have varied with subsequent waves and strategies for managing COVID-19 have evolved over time. Third, there were no specific controls for socioeconomic factors such as medical insurance status or income level, as more than 75% of BMC patients had either general payment insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, or CHISP) or no insurance. Finally, differences in COVID-19 outcomes between current versus past SUD cannot be detected – this area would benefit from further research.

In conclusion, in this study of hospitalized individuals in an urban safety net hospital with a diverse patient population in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, inpatient mortality and morbidity between patients with and without SUD were similar. The findings provide a detailed assessment of outcomes in a unique cohort of patients disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and may provide useful insights into similar conditions across the country. These findings point away from SUD as an independent risk factor for severe COVID-19 and also suggest a focus on medical comorbidities to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. Additional studies are needed to further evaluate differential outcomes in this high-risk population, particularly in the era of new targeted therapies for COVID-19.

source:

Journal reference:

McLaughlin, A.; et al. (2023). Comparison of COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality between patients with and without substance use disorders: a retrospective study. Substance abuse: research and treatment. doi.org/10.1177/11782218231160014.

[ad_2]

Source link

Related Posts

Precaliga