Study links Covid infection with increased risk of schizophrenia

Even as the world is seeing a fresh surge in Covid19 cases a new study has shown an association between SARSCoV2 infections and the onset of mental health disorders like schizophreniaSchizophrenia is a serious mental condition characterised by hallucinations delusions and other cognitive impairmentsPrevious research suggests it may be triggered by viruses such as the flu or even Covid19The new study not peerreviewed yet found a substantial increase in the likelihood of being diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum and psychotic disorder SSPD after experiencing moderate to severe illness due to SARSCoV2 infection in comparison to a group of individuals who had nonCovid Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ARDSldquoOur study is consistent with the known neurotropism of the SARSCoV2 virus and other reports of increased risk of major psychiatric disorders following Covid19 infectionrdquo said Asif Rahman from the Department of Industrial amp Management Systems Engineering West Virginia UniversityldquoFurther research is required to identify specific characteristics of populations and individuals who may be at a particularly high risk of developing SSPD and potentially other significant psychiatric conditions following Covid19 infection Understanding these psychiatric risks associated with Covid19 is an essential component of our strategy to address the evolving landscape of longCovidrdquo added Rahman in the paper posted on a preprint siteDifferent from other studies the team took acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS and Covid19 lab negative cohorts as control groups to accurately gauge the impact of Covid19 on SSPDData from 19344698 patients were methodically filtered to create propensity matched cohorts ARDS Covidpositive and CovidnegativeThey analysed the hazard rate of newonset SSPD across three distinct time intervals 021 days 2290 days and beyond 90 days postinfectionCovid19 positive patients consistently exhibited a heightened hazard ratio across all intervals the findings showedldquoThese are notably higher than both ARDS and Covid19 labnegative patientsrdquo the team saidldquoIntriguingly our data indicated that younger individuals face a heightened risk of SSPD after contracting Covid19 a trend not observed in the ARDS and Covidnegative groupsrdquo they addedThe study underscores the vital importance of keeping a close watch on the mental wellbeing of those recovering from Covid19 Their persistent increased risk points to a wider societal concern especially regarding severe psychiatric conditions like SSPDThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever