Pavarin, Raimondo Maria and Consonni, Dario and Lucchi, Fabio and Pandolfi, Paolo and Marani, Silvia and Palmese, Francesco and Domenicali, Marco (2023) COVID-19-related death in patients with alcohol or substance use disorders. European Addiction Research, 29, (1), pp. 67-70. https://doi.org/10.1159/000527542.
External website: https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/527542
BACKGROUND People with substance or alcohol use disorders (SUDs/AUDs) are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection than the general population, but the evidence of COVID-19-related mortality in these patients is unclear.
OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to verify whether patients with AUD and SUD have a higher mortality rate for COVID-19-related mortality compared to the general population.
METHOD We performed a follow-up study to assess mortality in 2020 in a cohort of patients diagnosed for the first time with AUDs or SUDs at the Public Health Services in the metropolitan area of Bologna (Northern Italy) from 2009 to 2019.
RESULTS SUDs/AUDs patients present an excess mortality with respect to the general population for all causes of death and for COVID-19-related mortality.
CONCLUSIONS Our data support the need for prevention strategies in SUDs/AUDs patients such as vaccinations.
G Health and disease > Substance use disorder (addiction) > Drug use disorder
G Health and disease > Disease by cause (Aetiology) > Communicable / infectious disease > Viral disease / infection > Coronavirus (COVID-19)
P Demography, epidemiology, and history > Population dynamics > Substance related mortality / death
VA Geographic area > Europe > Italy
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