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. 2020 Jul;13(3):100942.
doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100942. Epub 2020 May 24.

Intellectual and developmental disability and COVID-19 case-fatality trends: TriNetX analysis

Margaret A Turk  1 , Scott D Landes  2 , Margaret K Formica  3 , Katherine D Goss  4
Affiliations

Intellectual and developmental disability and COVID-19 case-fatality trends: TriNetX analysis

Margaret A Turk et al. Disabil Health J. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Despite possibly higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), there has been limited reporting of COVID-19 trends for this population.

Objective: To compare COVID-19 trends among people with and without IDD, overall and stratified by age.

Methods: Data from the TriNetX COVID-19 Research Network platform was used to identify COVID-19 patients. Analysis focused on trends in comorbidities, number of cases, number of deaths, and case-fatality rate among patients with and without IDD who had a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 through May 14, 2020.

Results: People with IDD had higher prevalence of specific comorbidities associated with poorer COVID-19 outcomes. Distinct age-related differences in COVID-19 trends were present among those with IDD, with a higher concentration of COVID-19 cases at younger ages. In addition, while the overall case-fatality rate was similar for those with IDD (5.1%) and without IDD (5.4%), these rates differed by age: ages ≤17 - IDD 1.6%, without IDD <0.01%; ages 18-74 - IDD 4.5%, without IDD 2.7%; ages ≥75- IDD 21.1%, without IDD, 20.7%.

Conclusions: Though of concern for all individuals, COVID-19 appears to present a greater risk to people with IDD, especially at younger ages. Future research should seek to document COVID-19 trends among people with IDD, with particular attention to age related trends.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Developmental disability; Intellectual disability.

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