From the article: A new study published in Psychiatry Research suggests that experiencing a serious case of COVID-19 is associated with increased risk of developing schizophrenia.

COVID-19 has had massive effects on society and many individuals’ health that will continue for years to come. In addition to serious physical health outcomes, it has been shown to be linked to declines in mental health that come from neuropsychological effects of the disease. COVID-19 can affect the nervous system, metabolism, and brain function. Despite our increasing knowledge of the negative effects of COVID-19, people have begun a return to normalcy and society has lifted mask mandates.

For their new study, Ancha Baranova and colleagues utilized data from two Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS). This included one for the SARS-CoV-2 infection and one for hospitalized COVID-19 cases. Datasets included 122,616 cases of SARS, 32,519 cases of COVID-19, and 53,386 cases of schizophrenia, in addition to controls for each group.

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a type of genetic research that looks for associations between genes and particular traits or conditions. Often, GWAS research is used to identify genes that may be involved in certain diseases.

The data allowed the researchers to examine the topic using the Mendelian randomization framework, a research method that uses genetic variation to study the relationship between exposures and outcomes. By comparing the effects of different variants of a gene, researchers can identify which exposures are associated with which outcomes. This approach has several advantages over traditional observational studies. First, it can help to control for confounding variables. Second, it can provide insight into causal relationships.