(120) Post-COVID Conditions: Prevalence and Associated Factors in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities in Sweden

Background: COVID-19 has disproportionately affected persons with intellectual disabilities (PwID), putting them at risk for post-COVID conditions (PCC); however, there is limited research on PCC among PwID.

Objectives: To examine the prevalence and factors associated with having a PCC diagnosis among PwID in Sweden.

Methods: PwID residing in the two largest Swedish regions (Västra Götaland and Stockholm) as of January 1, 2020, were identified using national registers and primary healthcare databases, relying on pertinent ICD-10 diagnoses. PCC was defined as the first primary or secondary ICD-10 diagnosis U09.9 from primary or secondary care after 28 days of COVID-19 infection. Poisson’s regression models were employed to identify factors associated with PCC, including sociodemographics, prior comorbidities, and treatment history. Results were reported as adjusted prevalence rate ratios (aPR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).

Results: Among 83,290 PwID (60.5% men, mean age [SD] = 24.6 [16.1] years), by March 2023, 20.2% (n = 16,815) had contracted COVID-19 infection, and only 270 (1.6%) had been diagnosed with PCC. Compared to PwID without PCC, those with PCC were more likely to be female, older, have higher education (upper and post-secondary), and experience comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, asthma, and depression. Additionally, they were more likely to be prescribed medications than PwIDs without PCC. After controlling for other covariates, an elevated likelihood of having a PCC diagnosis in PwID was observed in women (aPR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.27–2.13), older ages, employed in sectors with higher education (p < 0.005), or those with prior comorbidities such as asthma (1.52, 1.11-2.08), visual impairment (2.47, 1.29–4.72), and tranquillizer use (1.35, 1.02-1.78) who had been hospitalised due to COVID-19.Conversely, PwIDs with lower education levels and those who were unmarried reduced the likelihood of PCC.

Conclusions: These findings provide insight into the low prevalence of PCC diagnosis among PwID and highlight the links between sociodemographic, comorbidities, and clinical factors associated with PCC.