Hospitalisation and mortality among privately insured individuals with COVID-19 in the United States: The role of...

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Public health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) and neurogenetic conditions (IDNDs) are a vulnerable population with increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes.
• Comorbidities in IDND populations can exacerbate adverse health events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the population-level odds of hospitalization and mortality among privately insured individuals with COVID-19.
• To compare COVID-19 outcomes between individuals with and without IDNDs, controlling for sociodemographics and comorbidities.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, cross-sectional study of 752,237 privately insured US patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (February-September 2020).
• Analysis included 1174 individuals with IDs and neurogenetic conditions.
• Adjusted for demographic characteristics, HRSA region, states with ACA, and comorbidity count.

Main Results:

• Patients with IDNDs had significantly higher rates of COVID-19 hospitalization (35.01% vs. 12.65%) and mortality (4.94% vs. 0.88%) compared to those without IDNDs.
• Adjusted odds of hospitalization for COVID-19 associated with IDNDs were 4.05 (sociodemographics only) and 1.42 (sociodemographics and comorbidities).
• Adjusted odds of COVID-19 mortality for individuals with IDNDs were 4.65 (sociodemographics only) and 2.70 (sociodemographics and comorbidities).

Conclusions:

• IDNDs are an independent risk factor for increased COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality.
• Even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities, individuals with IDNDs experienced significantly worse COVID-19 outcomes.
• Findings underscore the vulnerability of individuals with IDNDs to severe COVID-19 and highlight the need for comprehensive healthcare access and targeted interventions.