Inflammatory Response in SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Patients with Schizophrenia and Long-Term Antipsychotic Treatment

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia patients are a population at particular risk of poor outcomes in COVID-19 infection. They have multiple comorbidities that have been identified as risk factors for severe COVID-19: diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive respiratory disease, and end-stage renal disease. AIM: The aim of this research was to evaluate the inflammatory response and in-hospital mortality in schizophrenia patients compared to a control group without mental illness. METHODS: A total of 101 consecutive individuals with schizophrenia tested positive for COVID-19 was compared with 101 individuals without schizophrenia admitted in the same hospital. The number of severe cases and the number of deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated between April 2020 and April 2021. RESULTS: There were no deaths in the group of patients with schizophrenia. Although the group had a higher number of cases with pulmonary and metabolic comorbidities, in the group with SCZ there were fewer severe cases compared to the control group. The values of some markers of inflammation (CRP and fibrinogen) were significantly lower in SCZ patients. The duration from infection to diagnosis and the start of symptomatic treatment was shorter for the group with SCZ (4.2±3.2 vs 5.3±4.6, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The main findings of the study were that vulnerable schizophrenia individuals on antipsychotic treatment showed a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 severe infection and a likely better COVID-19 prognosis in a protective environment. Rapid access to specialists in case of need are factors that have determined the favorable evolution in a group considered high risk. It could be speculated that antipsychotics could play an important role in preventing SARS-CoV-2 severe manifestation and may exert protective effects against detrimental courses of COVID-19.