Inequalities and risk factors of COVID-19 patients with Down syndrome: a Brazilian cross-sectional, analytical-exploratory study

Authors

  • Ana Paula Santin Bertoni Software Innovation Laboratory - SOFTWARELAB, Postgraduate Program in Applied Computing, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3025-4293
  • Felipe André Zeiser Software Innovation Laboratory - SOFTWARELAB, Postgraduate Program in Applied Computing, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1102-7722
  • Ana Paula Alegretti Laboratory Diagnostic Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8444-4359
  • Blanda Helena de Mello Software Innovation Laboratory - SOFTWARELAB, Postgraduate Program in Applied Computing, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0372-5237
  • Ana Paula Wernz da Cunha Müller Instituto CEOS LTDA, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1919-7152
  • Bruna Donida Software Innovation Laboratory - SOFTWARELAB, Postgraduate Program in Applied Computing, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo - RS, Brazil. Instituto CEOS LTDA, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6346-5153
  • Juliana Nichterwitz Scherer Software Innovation Laboratory - SOFTWARELAB, Postgraduate Program in Applied Computing, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo - RS, Brazil. Postgraduate Program in Public Health, University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9235-0416
  • Sandro José Rigo Software Innovation Laboratory - SOFTWARELAB, Postgraduate Program in Applied Computing, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8140-5621
  • Cristiano André da Costa Software Innovation Laboratory - SOFTWARELAB, Postgraduate Program in Applied Computing, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo - RS, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3859-6199

Keywords:

COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Síndrome de Down, Illiteracy, Brazil, Poverty

Abstract

Introduction: People with Down’s syndrome, compose the group that has shown a significantly higher risk of severe illness or death from SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study analysed mortality risk in patients with Down syndrome infected by Sars-Cov-2 considering clinical and sociodemographic determinants.

Methods: For this purpose, we retrieved data from COVID-19 patients with and without Down syndrome admitted to the Brazilian hospitals with symptoms of SARS. The relationship between variables and deaths was assessed by univariate analysis, and the relative risks and confidence intervals were analyzed by Poisson regression with robust variance. Coefficients Pearson’s and Spearman’s were used to assess the relationship of Brazilian social indexes and rate of deaths.

Results: Out of 2597 COVID-19 patients with Down syndrome, 1105 (42.5%) died during hospitalization, and the mortality risk was 23.4% higher than patients without Down syndrome. The variables age >60 years, residence in the North region of Brazil, illiterate, and required ICU admission or mechanical ventilation were independently associated with higher mortality risk for patients with Down syndrome. The mortality rate also was negatively associated with Gross Domestic Product per capita and with literacy level and was positively associated with poverty level.

Conclusions: In the present study, we showed that school attainment/literacy correlated with the risk of mortality of Down syndrome patients infected by Sars-Cov-2 in the less favored Brazil regions. Our study suggests the need to develop education strategies and health promotion programs to mitigate the risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients with Down syndrome.

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Published

2025-06-10

How to Cite

1.
Santin Bertoni AP, Zeiser FA, Alegretti AP, de Mello BH, Wernz da Cunha Müller AP, Donida B, Nichterwitz Scherer J, Rigo SJ, da Costa CA. Inequalities and risk factors of COVID-19 patients with Down syndrome: a Brazilian cross-sectional, analytical-exploratory study. Clin Biomed Res [Internet]. 2025 Jun. 10 [cited 2025 Jun. 23];45:e136432. Available from: https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/hcpa/article/view/136432

Issue

Vol. 45 (2025): Clinical and Biomedical Research

Section

Original Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Ana Paula Santin Bertoni, Felipe André Zeiser , Ana Paula Alegretti , Blanda Helena de Mello , Ana Paula Wernz da Cunha Müller , Bruna Donida , Juliana Nichterwitz Scherer , Sandro José Rigo , Cristiano André da Costa

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