Rates of Vaccination against COVID-19 in Psychiatric Outpatients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the rates of vaccination against COVID-19 infection in psychiatric outpatients and the general population, as well as rates of infected patients. In addition, the level and type of anxiety due to the pandemic were observed in patients with psychotic, anxiety, and depressive disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, 171 patients with pre-existing mental disorders completed the questionnaire about the doses and types of vaccination against COVID-19. During 2021-2023, patients with different mental disorders, aged from 18 to 80, were included. All patients filled in a self-reported questionnaire including general information (age, sex, marriage, education, working status, comorbid conditions) as well as questions about mental health, receiving vaccination, and the course of COVID-19 infection if it was present. All patients gave informed consent for the interview. RESULTS: Patients with pre-existing mental disorders were more likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 compared with the general population. The Sinopharm vaccine was most frequently applied. In the observed patients, 46.8% were infected, but just 7% had a medium or serious form of infection and were not vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the percentage of vaccinated psychiatric patients was greater than that in the general population, except in psychotic patients, who were mostly limited by fear. Such results can be explained by the high percentage of somatic comorbidities in this population and perhaps insufficient information about the positive effects of vaccination.

Association of androgenetic alopecia with a more severe form of COVID-19 infection.

BACKGROUND: Individual susceptibility to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome is related to age and most frequent comorbidities. So far, it is known that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily infects the type II pneumocytes in humans, with the help of transmembrane serine protease type 2 (TMPRSS2). Up to now, the only known transcriptional promoters of genes coding TMPRSS2 are androgenic. Theoretically, the elevated level of androgens or androgen receptors would lead to a higher expression of TMPRSS2 and a higher level of viremia as a consequence. AIM: The aim of our research was to indirectly investigate if the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection is dependent on the expression of androgen receptors. METHODS: This observational study analysed male patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection with respect to the length of hospitalisation, the outcome of the disease, the type of necessary oxygen support and the presence of comorbidities and hairiness. In hairiness estimation, we used an adapted version of the Hamilton-Norwood scale and the presence of the Gabrin sign. RESULTS: In total, 208 patients were enrolled in the study. There were statistically significant differences comparing the average age of patients with the different types of alopecia when groups were divided according to the presence of the Gabrin sign (t = 4.958, p > 0.01). The outcomes and the type of needed minimal oxygen support, compared with the type of alopecia in the case of Gabrin + / - classification showed a statistically significant difference in the outcome of the disease (p = 0.027). There were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of comorbidities among alopecia groups, but hypertension was related to poor COVID-19 prognosis. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the Gabrin sign and hypertension are related to a poor COVID-19 prognosis.

The Role of COVID-19-Associated Fear, Stress and Level of Social Support in Development of Suicidality in Patients Diagnosed with Affective and Stress-Induced Psychiatric Disorders during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Comparative Analysis.

Only a few studies seem to address suicidality as an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in persons previously affected by psychiatric disorders. The relationship between fear and stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the level of social support and suicidality in patients diagnosed with affective and stress-induced psychiatric disorders prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were investigated. This study was observational and involved 100 participants. The examined period was from April 2020 to April 2022. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), the Oslo Social Support Scale 3 (OSSS-3) and general psychiatric interviews were used to obtain data. A statistically significant relationship between the impact of COVID-19-related distress on the occurrence of suicidality and the year of the pandemic χ2(2, N = 100) = 8.347, p = 0.015 was observed. No statistically significant correlation was found between suicidal behavior, stress intensity, fear and the score on the social support scale (p > 0.05). Fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic can only be seen as a contributor to suicidality. Overall, social support does not always act protectively. Previously stressful experiences such as wars, poverty and natural disasters seem to play a significant role in the resilience to each new public health crisis.