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Risk of Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 Disease in Individuals With Down Syndrome: A Matched Cohort Study From a

Jennifer H Ku1, Myron J Levin2, Yi Luo1

  • 1Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California, USA.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|June 24, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a lower risk of COVID-19 infection but a significantly higher risk of severe disease. Enhanced monitoring and early treatment are crucial for this population.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Genetics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Down syndrome (DS) is linked to immune deficiencies, increasing infection susceptibility.
  • The specific risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in individuals with DS has not been clearly established.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the risk of COVID-19 infection and severe disease in individuals with Down syndrome.
  • To compare these risks against matched controls in a pre-vaccination era.

Main Methods:

  • A matched cohort study design was employed.
  • 2,541 individuals with DS were matched with 10,164 controls based on age, sex, and race/ethnicity.
  • Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to assess risk.

Main Results:

  • Individuals with DS showed a 32% lower rate of COVID-19 infection compared to controls (aHR, 0.68).
  • Conversely, individuals with DS had a 6-fold higher rate of severe COVID-19 disease (aHR, 6.14).

Conclusions:

  • Despite a lower infection rate, individuals with Down syndrome face a substantially higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes.
  • Recommendations include enhanced infection surveillance, prompt treatment, and COVID-19 vaccination promotion for the DS population.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19COVID-19 deathCOVID-19 hospitalizationdown syndrome

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