COVID-19 Response in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Hematological and Inflammatory Profile

Abstract

COVID-19 cases are still of particular interest for identifying vulnerable groups. Schizophrenia is considered a high-risk factor for COVID-19 mortality, but this conclusion remains debated. This research aims to investigate the hematological and immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with schizophrenia. Data were retrieved from the medical records of 69 patients with schizophrenia and 332 mentally healthy individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Immunological status was assessed by hemoglobin level, white blood cell, absolute neutrophil, absolute lymphocyte, and platelet counts. The inflammatory status was evaluated using the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; an index of systemic immune inflammation, and a platelet-to-hemoglobin ratio. Our findings showed a milder course of the disease in patients with schizophrenia compared to the controls. Notably, these patients displayed an absence of an apparent white blood cell response to SARS-CoV-2 invasion, a lower inflammatory response, except for an elevated platelet-to-hemoglobin ratio. The most intriguing result was the lack of a gender-dependent immunological reaction to COVID-19 in patients with schizophrenia, in contrast to the controls. Thus, our data revealed a different physiological response to COVID-19 in patients with schizophrenia compared to the general population, raising many questions about the complex interplay between the nature of mental diseases, medication, immune system functionality, and susceptibility to COVID-19.