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Case Reports
. 2021 Jun;121(3):685-687.
doi: 10.1007/s13760-020-01373-8. Epub 2020 May 22.

Are patients with Down syndrome vulnerable to life-threatening COVID-19?

Harald De Cauwer  1   2   3 , Ann Spaepen  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Are patients with Down syndrome vulnerable to life-threatening COVID-19?

Harald De Cauwer et al. Acta Neurol Belg. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Patients with Down syndrome are at increased risk of respiratory syncytial virus- and H1N1-related death. Literature on COVID-19 in Down syndrome patients is unavailable thus far. We describe the clinical course of 4 patients with Down syndrome during an outbreak of COVID-19. In all four patients, disease course was severe, warranting hospital care in three patients, with fatal outcome in one patient. Another patient receives supportive care in our institution. Our case series is the first report on probable increased risk of life-threatening disease course of COVID-19 in patients with Down syndrome. Proper surveillance, the adherence of social distancing, and the use of personal protective equipment will be essential in reducing morbidity and mortality in our patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; Down syndrome; Infection; Intellectual disability; Pneumonia; Viral disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

All the authors report no disclosure or conflict of interest relevant to the manuscript. All authors report no financial disclosure.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chest computed tomography scan of patient 2 showing viral pneumonitis in as much as 75% of the lungs
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Chest computed tomography scan of patient 3. 50–75% of lungs are showing typical bilateral ground-glass opacity and pulmonary consolidation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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