In the U.S., COVID was deadliest for people with intellectual disability
By Louise Kinross
COVID-19 was the number one cause of death for Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in 2020, but only the third cause of death in the general population, according to a study published this month in the Disability and Health Journal.
"Even when we adjusted for age, sex, and racial-ethnic minority status, we found that COVID-19 was far deadlier for those with IDD than those without," says lead author Scott Landes, an associate professor of Sociology at Syracuse University in New York State. In addition, "people with IDD were dying at much younger ages."
Researchers looked at 2020 death certificate data to study patterns in both populations. For Americans without IDD, heart disease was the top cause of death, followed by cancer, with COVID-19 ranking as the third cause.
Compared to non-disabled people who died in 2020, COVID-19 deaths were 1.6 times higher in people with intellectual disability, 1.5 times higher in those with cerebral palsy, and 2.1 times higher in those with Down syndrome.
People with all kinds of IDD who died were more likely to have hypothyroidism and seizures, while non-disabled people were more likely to have heart disease. People with intellectual disability and Down syndrome were more likely to have obesity.
The researchers were not able to pinpoint the factors contributing to the higher COVID death rates in people with IDD.
Scott says it is likely a combination: "Ableism leading to inequities in the medical system and public health response; disproportionate percentage of the population living in congregate group homes; and some differences in pre-existing conditions."
We can recall news reports in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom of group and nursing homes not receiving personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and residents in a timely manner, and of do-not-resuscitate orders being written for adults with IDD without consent. After the vaccine became available, people with IDD were not prioritized to receive it.
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