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Covid-19 diagnoses and vaccinations among people with intellectual disabilities compared to the general population (IDcare)

Axmon, Anna LU orcid ; Kristensson, Jimmie LU and Sandberg, Magnus LU orcid (2024) The 17th IASSIDD World Congress
Abstract
Background: People with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience barriers to health care, which may have been particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods: In this register-based study, we identified all people living in Skåne (southernmost region of Sweden) on January 1st, 2014. People with ID (F7) or Down Syndrome (Q90), or service and support for people with ID or autism spectrum disorder, comprised the ID cohort (n=14 716), those with a family member in the ID cohort were excluded, leaving the remainder to the general population cohort (n=1 232 299). Covid-19 diagnoses were assessed as none, not virus identified (U07.2), or virus identified (U07.1). People with both U07.1 and U07.2 diagnoses were included in... (More)
Background: People with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience barriers to health care, which may have been particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods: In this register-based study, we identified all people living in Skåne (southernmost region of Sweden) on January 1st, 2014. People with ID (F7) or Down Syndrome (Q90), or service and support for people with ID or autism spectrum disorder, comprised the ID cohort (n=14 716), those with a family member in the ID cohort were excluded, leaving the remainder to the general population cohort (n=1 232 299). Covid-19 diagnoses were assessed as none, not virus identified (U07.2), or virus identified (U07.1). People with both U07.1 and U07.2 diagnoses were included in the virus identified group. Vaccination data were obtained from the Public Health Agency of Sweden (PHA). Relative risks (RRs) were estimated using Poisson regression.

Findings: Covid-19 was more commonly diagnosed among people with ID than in the general population (17% vs 12%; RR 1.44). The risk varied between age groups, with the highest risk for the ID cohort found among older people (RR 2.68) and the lowest among adolescents (RR 0.99). The risk was slightly higher among women than among men (RR 1.52 and 1.41, respectively). The prevalence of U07.2 was similar in the two cohorts (8% vs 9%), but U07.1 was three times higher among people with ID (9% vs 3%). Vaccinations were slightly less common in the ID cohort than in the gPop cohort (71% vs 74%; RR 0.97).

Conclusions: Restrictions on activities for people with ID during the pandemic period did not protect this group from being infected with Covid-19 to a higher degree than people in the general population. Moreover, although the PHA identified people with ID as a high-risk group to be prioritized for vaccination, fewer people with ID received the vaccine. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
published
subject
conference name
The 17th IASSIDD World Congress
conference location
Chicago, United States
conference dates
2024-08-05 - 2024-08-08
project
Health care utilization in primary and specialist care among people with intellectual disability: A longitudinal register study
Support, health care, end-of-life care, and causes of death among people with intellectual disability: Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8eff7e71-77d3-4f49-9953-838364e21716
alternative location
https://www.lupop.lu.se/idcare_iassidd2024_covid
date added to LUP
2024-08-12 15:25:58
date last changed
2024-08-13 07:28:07
@misc{8eff7e71-77d3-4f49-9953-838364e21716,
  abstract     = {{Background: People with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience barriers to health care, which may have been particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic.<br/><br/>Methods: In this register-based study, we identified all people living in Skåne (southernmost region of Sweden) on January 1st, 2014. People with ID (F7) or Down Syndrome (Q90), or service and support for people with ID or autism spectrum disorder, comprised the ID cohort (n=14 716), those with a family member in the ID cohort were excluded, leaving the remainder to the general population cohort (n=1 232 299). Covid-19 diagnoses were assessed as none, not virus identified (U07.2), or virus identified (U07.1). People with both U07.1 and U07.2 diagnoses were included in the virus identified group. Vaccination data were obtained from the Public Health Agency of Sweden (PHA). Relative risks (RRs) were estimated using Poisson regression.<br/><br/>Findings: Covid-19 was more commonly diagnosed among people with ID than in the general population (17% vs 12%; RR 1.44). The risk varied between age groups, with the highest risk for the ID cohort found among older people (RR 2.68) and the lowest among adolescents (RR 0.99). The risk was slightly higher among women than among men (RR 1.52 and 1.41, respectively). The prevalence of U07.2 was similar in the two cohorts (8% vs 9%), but U07.1 was three times higher among people with ID (9% vs 3%). Vaccinations were slightly less common in the ID cohort than in the gPop cohort (71% vs 74%; RR 0.97).<br/><br/>Conclusions: Restrictions on activities for people with ID during the pandemic period did not protect this group from being infected with Covid-19 to a higher degree than people in the general population. Moreover, although the PHA identified people with ID as a high-risk group to be prioritized for vaccination, fewer people with ID received the vaccine.}},
  author       = {{Axmon, Anna and Kristensson, Jimmie and Sandberg, Magnus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  title        = {{Covid-19 diagnoses and vaccinations among people with intellectual disabilities compared to the general population (IDcare)}},
  url          = {{https://www.lupop.lu.se/idcare_iassidd2024_covid}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}