“COVID-19: Antipsychotics may offer protection - Medical News Today” plus 2 more
“COVID-19: Antipsychotics may offer protection - Medical News Today” plus 2 more |
- COVID-19: Antipsychotics may offer protection - Medical News Today
- H1N1 Influenza vs. COVID-19 Comparison: Similarities & Differences - Healthline
- Changes in symptomatology, reinfection, and transmissibility associated with the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7: an ecological study - The Lancet
| COVID-19: Antipsychotics may offer protection - Medical News Today Posted: 17 Apr 2021 12:17 AM PDT 
A group of researchers — led by scientists from the Mental Health Unit of the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital in Seville, Spain — have found that antipsychotic drugs could have a protective effect against COVID-19. People treated with these drugs may have a lower risk of contracting the virus or may have milder symptoms if they do get the virus. Some of the findings appear in the journal Schizophrenia Research. "These are very interesting findings that reflect a clinical reality where we see few patients with severe COVID-19, despite the presence of various risk factors," says Manuel Canal Rivero, a clinical psychologist and lead author of one of the two papers.
Many researchers have spent the past year studying whether or not individuals with severe mental health conditions might be more likely to contract SARS-CoV-2 and develop severe symptoms from COVID-19. In the issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin published April 28, 2020, a team from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada, discussed why they believed people with schizophrenia and related disorders were likely to have a higher risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. They pointed to features of the condition, such as experiencing hallucinations and possessing a lower awareness of risk. They added that living in crowded settings, such as congregate housing or prisons, where social distancing is difficult, may increase the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. The team wrote that they believed individuals with schizophrenia and related disorders would be more likely to have poor outcomes from COVID-19. This is because they are more likely to have poor physical health, are disadvantaged socioeconomically, and experience stigma and social isolation. Scientists believe that these factors likely elevate mortality from COVID-19. People with severe mental illness are more likely to have conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease. The researchers also pointed out that people with schizophrenia are more likely to smoke, a habit that several studies have linked to developing a more severe form of COVID-19. Another recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry reported that individuals with schizophrenia are at a significantly increased risk of dying from COVID-19. In contrast, a South Korean study that appears in The Lancet Psychiatry found that a mental illness diagnosis has no associations with an increased likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19. The study also concluded that people with a severe mental illness had only a slightly higher risk for severe clinical outcomes from COVID-19. Therefore, "Previous investigations to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 in [the population with severe mental health conditions] have yielded to inconsistent results," the Seville researchers wrote. For the new study, which appears in Schizophrenia Research, the research team examined data for a representative Spanish population of 557,576 adults. Of these, 23,077 (4.1%) tested positive for COVID-19 between February and November 2020. There were 1,953 (8.5%) hospitalizations related to COVID-19 and 254 deaths (1.1%). Among 698 people with severe mental health conditions who received treatment with long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic treatment, 9 (1.3%) tested positive for COVID-19. Only one member of that group displayed COVID-19 symptoms. None had to go to the hospital, and none died due to COVID-19. This suggests people treated with these drugs may have a lower risk of acquiring a SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be more likely to have a milder form of the disease if they do get the virus, say the researchers. "The number of COVID-19 patients is lower than expected among this group of people, and in cases where a proven infection does occur, the evolution is benign and does not reach a life threatening clinical situation," says Canal Rivero. "These data as a whole seem to point to the protective effect of the medication." The research team also points to an earlier review highlighting antipsychotics as potential treatments for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The Seville research team also observed that "many of the genes whose expression is altered by COVID-19 are significantly down-regulated by antipsychotic drugs," according to a press release about their work. To make this finding, the research team investigated the gene expression profile of people with COVID-19 and the gene expression profile of people receiving treatment with antipsychotic drugs. "In a striking way, we have shown how antipsychotics reduce the activation of genes involved in many of the inflammatory and immunological pathways associated with the severity of Covid-19 infection," says Benedicto Crespo-Facorro, professor at the University of Seville and current director of the Mental Health Unit at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, both in Spain. While Prof. Crespo-Facorro stresses that scientists must do more research, he believes the finding could be significant because it may lead to treating COVID-19 with antipsychotics. For live updates on the latest developments regarding the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, click here. |
| H1N1 Influenza vs. COVID-19 Comparison: Similarities & Differences - Healthline Posted: 16 Apr 2021 03:22 PM PDT A pandemic happens when a disease spreads across many different countries or continents, impacting a large number of people. When you think of a pandemic, COVID-19 probably comes to mind. However, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, we've also experienced another pandemic relatively recently: the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. You may be curious how these two pandemics compare with each other. Keep reading as we break down their similarities and differences below. Before we go on to compare the two pandemics in more detail, here are some fast facts about each of them. Let's look at some of the similarities between the 2009 H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 pandemics. TransmissionBoth 2009 H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 can be transmitted in similar ways. These include:
It's also possible for a person to pass both viruses when they don't have any symptoms. This is called asymptomatic transmission. SymptomsBoth 2009 H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 are respiratory infections that share many symptoms in common. These can include: One symptom that's unique to COVID-19 is loss of smell and taste. The 2009 H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 can range from mild to severe. In both pandemics, certain groups were at an increased risk for severe illness. Risk factorsThe groups at risk for complications from 2009 H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 have significant overlap. They include:
Underlying health conditions that can contribute to complications include: Additional high risk groups for the 2009 H1N1 influenzaSome additional groups that were at a higher risk for serious illness during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic included:
Additional high risk groups for COVID-19Additionally, people with the following underlying health conditions are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19: ComplicationsBoth 2009 H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 can lead to similar complications, including: COVID-19 also has a few additional complications, including: VaccineAfter the emergence of 2009 H1N1 influenza and COVID-19, efforts were quickly made to develop a vaccine. Over the course of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, a total of five vaccines were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These vaccines were developed using the same technology that had previously been used for seasonal flu vaccines. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 200 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in development at the time of this article, with at least seven different vaccines currently in use across the globe. They use a variety of different technologies, including: Three vaccines are currently authorized by the FDA for emergency use in the United States. These include the vaccines produced by: Now let's explore the differences between the two pandemics. The type of virusThe 2009 H1N1 pandemic was caused by an influenza virus. Influenza viruses are part of the viral family Orthomyxoviridae. Their genetic material consists of eight separate strands of RNA. This specific influenza virus jumped to humans from pigs in 2009, hence its moniker "swine flu." It actually contains RNA strands of human, swine, and avian origin. How does this happen? Pigs can get several different types of influenza virus. When this happens, the RNA strands from the different viruses can mix together through a process called reassortment. This can create a unique influenza virus, such as the 2009 H1N1 virus. COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus from the viral family Coronaviridae. Its genetic material consists of a single strand of RNA. The specific virus that causes COVID-19 is called SARS-CoV-2. The exact origin of SARS-CoV-2 is still unknown. A recently released report from the WHO indicates that SARS-CoV-2 probably originated in bats and was passed to humans through an unknown intermediate animal host. 2009 H1N1 influenza todayEven though the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic ended in 2010, these viruses continue to circulate today as seasonal flu strains. They've been included as one of the components of the seasonal flu vaccine each year since the pandemic.  Worldwide deathsIn a 2012 study, researchers estimated that about 284,000 deaths occurred worldwide in the first 12 months of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Since the end of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that an additional 75,000 deaths occurred in the United States due to 2009 H1N1 influenza. COVID-19 has caused significantly more deaths worldwide. It's estimated that about 2,000,000 deaths from COVID-19 occurred in the first 12 months of the pandemic. As with 2009 H1N1 influenza, deaths due to COVID-19 will continue during and after the pandemic. At the time of writing, COVID-19 has caused almost 3,000,000 deaths worldwide. Over 500,000 deaths have occurred in the United States. ContagiousnessCOVID-19 is more contagious than 2009 H1N1 influenza. This means that COVID-19 can spread more easily between individuals. It's estimated that the R0 for COVID-19 is about 3 while the R0 for 2009 H1N1 influenza is between 1.3 and 1.7. "R0" stands for "basic reproduction number." It reflects the number of other people who are susceptible to contracting the virus if one person has it. So, one person who's developed COVID-19 may potentially transmit the virus to three other people. Meanwhile, a person that has 2009 H1N1 influenza may pass it to between one to two other people. The period of contagiousness between the two viruses can also vary:
Symptom onsetFlu, including the 2009 H1N1 flu, and COVID-19 differ when it comes to symptom onset:
Age group most impactedThe two pandemics also differed in the age groups that were most impacted:
Illness severityIt's estimated that between 94 and 98 percent cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza were mild. Much fewer people experienced severe or critical illness. A higher percentage of people who develop COVID-19 have severe illness. The WHO estimates that, while COVID-19 is mild 80 percent of the time, 20 percent of people who contract the virus can become seriously or critically ill. TreatmentsThe treatment for 2009 H1N1 influenza included supportive care and antiviral medications. Supportive care involves:
The H1N1 virus was also susceptible to antiviral medications that had been previously used (and are still used) for seasonal flu, such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). When COVID-19 first emerged, however, we didn't know of any treatments that were effective against it. Over time, various therapies have either been approved by the FDA or authorized for emergency use. Mild to moderate COVID-19 is often treated with supportive care. Additional treatments are also available to people who are hospitalized or at a high risk of serious illness. These can include:
We've experienced two different pandemics in the 21st century: the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. There are various similarities and differences between these two pandemics. Although they're caused by different viruses, both 2009 H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 are respiratory illnesses that are transmitted in the same way. There's also a lot of overlap in symptoms, complications, and risk factors for serious illness. However, COVID-19 is more likely to cause serious illness than 2009 H1N1 influenza and has led to more deaths worldwide. It's also more contagious than 2009 H1N1 influenza. While effective treatments weren't known at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we now have several that are available. Additionally, as in the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, vaccines have been rapidly developed for COVID-19. |
| Posted: 12 Apr 2021 03:31 PM PDT [unable to retrieve full-text content]Changes in symptomatology, reinfection, and transmissibility associated with the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7: an ecological study The Lancet |
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