(MEDICAL NEWS) – Researchers have found that individuals with learning disabilities are more likely to suffer from severe cases of COVID-19 infection, with higher rates of hospitalization and mortality, which is exacerbated for individuals with profound disabilities such as Down's syndrome and cerebral palsy.
From the onset of the pandemic, researchers have attempted to identify individuals at high risk from the symptoms of COVID-19, and mounting evidence has suggested that individuals suffering from other medical conditions are particularly susceptible. However, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of COVID-19 from other conditions, making accurate predictions difficult.
This pattern has also been observed in people with a learning disability, as clinical results of patients have often been confounded by multiple factors such as deprivation, lack of standardization, and comorbidities.
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