Down Syndrome associated with a 10-fold increased risk for COVID-19-related death

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/acop-cnf102120.php

News Release 21-Oct-2020
COVID-19 news from Annals of Internal Medicine
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American College of Physicians

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many national health organizations emphasized quarantining or physical distancing, especially for those deemed to be extremely vulnerable on the basis of certain medical conditions. Although Down syndrome was not specifically mentioned on official lists of conditions that put people at increased risk, the condition is associated with immune dysfunction, congenital heart disease, and pulmonary pathology. Therefore, it may be an unconfirmed risk factor for severe COVID-19.

Researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Nottingham, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and the University College London studied a cohort of 8.26 million adults through a QResearch database to evaluate if Down syndrome is a risk factor for death from COVID-19. The authors found an estimated a 4-fold increased risk for COVID-19-related hospitalization and a 10-fold increased risk for COVID-19-related death in persons with Down syndrome. They stress this novel evidence should be used by public health organizations, policymakers, and health care workers to strategically protect vulnerable individuals. Read the full text: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-4986.