The Impact of Substance Use Disorder on COVID-19 Outcomes

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine the impact of substance use disorder on the risk of hospitalization, complications, and mortality among adult patients diagnosed as having COVID-19. Methods: The authors conducted a propensity score (PS)-matched double-cohort study (N=5,562 in each cohort) with data from the TriNetX Research Network database to identify 54,529 adult patients (>= 18 years) diagnosed as having COVID-19 between February 20 and June 30, 2020. Results: Primary analysis (PS matched on demographic characteristics and presence of diabetes and obesity) showed that substance use disorder was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR]=1.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.69-2.01), ventilator use (OR=1.45, 95% CI=1.22-1.72), and mortality (OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.08-1.56). Conclusions: The findings suggest that COVID-19 patients with substance use disorders are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. The attenuation of ORs in the model that matched for chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases associated with substance abuse suggests that the observed risks may be partially mediated by these conditions.