Initiation of psychotropic medication in hospitalized patients with COVID‐19: Association with clinical and biological characteristics

Capuzzi, Enrico; Caldiroli, Alice; Leo, Silvia; Buoli, Massimiliano; Clerici, Massimo

INTRODUCTION: Inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) show a high rate of neuropsychiatric manifestations, possibly related to a higher risk of serious illness or death. Use of psychotropic medications (PMs) indicates the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in COVID‐19 patients. So far, potential clinical predictors of use of PMs have not been much investigated. In order to extend research in this area, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of PM prescription among a sample of inpatients with COVID‐19 and to find potential predictors of initiation of PMs in these individuals. METHODS: This is a cross‐sectional single‐center study, conducted during the first outbreak peak in a hospital of northern Italy. Information on socio‐demographic characteristics, comorbidities, routine blood test, use of potential COVID‐19 treatments, and length of stay were retrieved from medical records. RESULTS: Data were available for 151 inpatients. Forty‐seven of them (31.1%) started at least one prescription of a PM. PM prescription was significantly inversely associated with lymphocyte and platelet counts. A significant association was also found for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the initiation of PMs could be common among COVID‐19 inpatients. Lymphocyte and platelet counts as well as LDH levels may reflect neuropsychiatric complications of COVID‐19.