COVID-19 Vaccines Effectively Protect Individuals with Psychiatric Disorders: Study

Written By : Jacinthlyn Sylvia |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2024-03-19T02:30:24+05:30 | Updated On 19 March 2024 9:54 AM IST

A recent study published in the Influenza Other Respiratory Viruses journal examined the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines across various psychiatric disorders yielded promising outcomes. This study by Matthew Levy and team from the VISION Network in four US determined if mental health conditions influence the efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

The study encompassed data from a total of 2,436,999 adults from December 2021 to August 2022 and revealed that 22.1% of participants had at least one psychiatric disorder. Also, the individuals with psychiatric disorders expressed a higher incidence of COVID-19-related hospitalization compared to those without such conditions. Mood disorders, anxiety disorders and psychotic disorders were identified as significant independent predictors of hospitalization. Despite these increased risks, the mRNA vaccines demonstrated consistent effectiveness across all psychiatric disorder statuses.

Among the patients with any psychiatric disorder, recent mRNA vaccination significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization. The analysis showed adjusted hazard ratios of 0.35, 0.08 and 0.33 after the second, third and fourth doses, respectively when compared to the unvaccinated individuals. The corresponding vaccine effectiveness estimates were particularly robust that ranged from 65% to 92%, depending on the number of doses received. These figures closely mirrored the protection observed in patients without psychiatric disorders by highlighting the universal benefit of vaccination.

The study underscores the importance of vaccination in managing COVID-19 among the vulnerable populations with psychiatric disorders. Despite the elevated risk of hospitalization associated with mental health conditions, these findings reassure that mRNA vaccines offer reliable protection across diverse patient demographics. Overall, these findings suggest that despite psychiatric disorders increasing the risk of COVID-19-associated hospitalization, the vaccination remains as a powerful option in reducing this risk across all patient groups.

Reference:

Levy, M.E., Yang, D.-H., Dunne, M.M., Miley, K., Irving, S.A., Grannis, S.J., Weber, Z.A., Griggs, E.P., Spark, T.L., Bassett, E., Embi, P.J., Gaglani, M., Natarajan, K., Valvi, N.R., Ong, T.C., Arndorfer, J., Najdowski, M., Murthy, K., Ray, C., Tenforde, M.W. and Ball, S.W. (2024), Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalization and Protection Associated With mRNA Vaccination Among US Adults With Psychiatric Disorders. Influenza Other Respiratory Viruses, 18: e13269. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.13269

Influenza and Other Respiratory VirusesCOVID-19 vaccinespsychiatric disorders

Source : Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses

Jacinthlyn Sylvia

Neuroscience Masters graduate

Jacinthlyn Sylvia, a Neuroscience Master's graduate from Chennai has worked extensively in deciphering the neurobiology of cognition and motor control in aging. She also has spread-out exposure to Neurosurgery from her Bachelor’s. She is currently involved in active Neuro-Oncology research. She is an upcoming neuroscientist with a fiery passion for writing. Her news cover at Medical Dialogues feature recent discoveries and updates from the healthcare and biomedical research fields. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751