Intellectual and developmental disability and COVID-19 case-fatality trends: TriNetX analysis.
Margaret A Turk, Scott D Landes, Margaret K Formica and 1 others
PMID 32473875WHAT IT FOUND
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities had similar overall death rates from COVID-19, but died at younger ages.
Those aged 18-74 had higher case-fatality rates than peers without disabilities, while rates for those over 75 were similar.
Key findings
01Overall case-fatality rates within 30 days were similar for patients with IDD (5.1%) and without IDD (5.4%).
02Patients with IDD had higher case-fatality rates at younger ages: 1.6% vs <0.1% for ages 0-17, and 4.5% vs 2.7% for ages 18-74.
03The peak percentage of deaths occurred at ages 18-74 for patients with IDD, compared to ages 75 and over for patients without IDD.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on electronic medical records, which may contain coding errors or missing data. The sample of patients with IDD was small (474), limiting the ability to analyze specific subgroups within the disability population. The data represents only those who sought care within the 42 participating organizations, which may not reflect the general population. The study could not control for confounding factors such as frailty, access to care, or severity of disability beyond the diagnostic code. Deaths were defined as occurring within 30 days of diagnosis, which might miss late COVID-19 related deaths or include deaths from other causes.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that people with IDD have a uniformly higher risk of death from COVID-19. The overall rates were similar; the increased risk was specific to younger age groups (0-74), while older adults had similar risks to the general population.