Journal
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
Volume 12, Issue 18, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12185953
Keywords
schizophrenia; COVID-19; pneumonia; mood stabilizer; sodium valproate
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This study retrospectively examined the association between mood stabilizers, specifically sodium valproate, and the risk of pneumonia development in COVID-19 infected patients with schizophrenia. The study found that patients using sodium valproate were more likely to develop pneumonia, suggesting it as a risk factor for pneumonia in COVID-19 infected patients with chronic schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is a known risk factor for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection and severity, and certain psychotropic drugs have been linked to increased mortality in infected patients with schizophrenia. However, little evidence exists regarding this risk. We retrospectively examined the association between mood stabilizers and the risk of pneumonia in patients with schizophrenia. This study included 99 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were infected with COVID-19 in 2022 and met the inclusion criteria. After conducting propensity score matching to align patient backgrounds and concomitant medications, we assessed the impact of mood stabilizers, specifically sodium valproate, on the risk of pneumonia development. Univariate analysis revealed that patients with schizophrenia and COVID-19 who developed pneumonia were more likely to be older (64.5 [14.2] vs. 57.4 [11.5] years, p = 0.008) and using sodium valproate (44.4% vs. 16.7%, p = 0.004). Even after propensity score matching, patients who developed pneumonia were still more likely to be receiving sodium valproate than not (58.8% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.003). Sodium valproate use may be a risk factor for the development of pneumonia in patients with chronic schizophrenia who are infected with COVID-19 during long-term hospitalization.
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