Antidepressant drug prescription and incidence of COVID-19 in mental health outpatients: a retrospective cohort study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Antidepressant drug prescription and incidence of COVID-19 in mental health outpatients

T2 - a retrospective cohort study

AU - Glebov, Oleg O

AU - Mueller, Christoph

AU - Stewart, Robert

AU - Aarsland, Dag

AU - Perera, Gayan

N1 - © 2023. The Author(s).

PY - 2023/6/21

Y1 - 2023/6/21

N2 - BACKGROUND: Currently, the main pharmaceutical intervention for COVID-19 is vaccination. While antidepressant (AD) drugs have shown some efficacy in treatment of symptomatic COVID-19, their preventative potential remains largely unexplored. Analysis of association between prescription of ADs and COVID-19 incidence in the population would be beneficial for assessing the utility of ADs in COVID-19 prevention.METHODS: Retrospective study of association between AD prescription and COVID-19 diagnosis was performed in a cohort of community-dwelling adult mental health outpatients during the 1st wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Clinical record interactive search (CRIS) was performed for mentions of ADs within 3 months preceding admission to inpatient care of the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust. Incidence of positive COVID-19 tests upon admission and during inpatient treatment was the primary outcome measure.RESULTS: AD mention was associated with approximately 40% lower incidence of positive COVID-19 test results when adjusted for socioeconomic parameters and physical health. This association was also observed for prescription of ADs of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class.CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests that ADs, and SSRIs in particular, may be of benefit for preventing COVID-19 infection spread in the community. The key limitations of the study are its retrospective nature and the focus on a mental health patient cohort. A more definitive assessment of AD and SSRI preventative potential warrants prospective studies in the wider demographic.

AB - BACKGROUND: Currently, the main pharmaceutical intervention for COVID-19 is vaccination. While antidepressant (AD) drugs have shown some efficacy in treatment of symptomatic COVID-19, their preventative potential remains largely unexplored. Analysis of association between prescription of ADs and COVID-19 incidence in the population would be beneficial for assessing the utility of ADs in COVID-19 prevention.METHODS: Retrospective study of association between AD prescription and COVID-19 diagnosis was performed in a cohort of community-dwelling adult mental health outpatients during the 1st wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Clinical record interactive search (CRIS) was performed for mentions of ADs within 3 months preceding admission to inpatient care of the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust. Incidence of positive COVID-19 tests upon admission and during inpatient treatment was the primary outcome measure.RESULTS: AD mention was associated with approximately 40% lower incidence of positive COVID-19 test results when adjusted for socioeconomic parameters and physical health. This association was also observed for prescription of ADs of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class.CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests that ADs, and SSRIs in particular, may be of benefit for preventing COVID-19 infection spread in the community. The key limitations of the study are its retrospective nature and the focus on a mental health patient cohort. A more definitive assessment of AD and SSRI preventative potential warrants prospective studies in the wider demographic.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Young Adult

KW - Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use

KW - COVID-19/diagnosis

KW - COVID-19 Testing

KW - Incidence

KW - Mental Disorders/drug therapy

KW - Outpatients/psychology

KW - Prescription Drugs/therapeutic use

KW - Retrospective Studies

KW - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors/therapeutic use

KW - United Kingdom/epidemiology

U2 - 10.1186/s12916-023-02877-9

DO - 10.1186/s12916-023-02877-9

M3 - Article

C2 - 37340474

SN - 1741-7015

VL - 21

SP - 209

JO - BMC Medicine

JF - BMC Medicine

IS - 1

ER -