Comprehensive coverage

Israeli research: those dealing with attention and concentration disorders will recover faster from Corona

Researchers from the Hebrew University, the Technion, the Western Galilee Academic College, and the Netanya Academic College have found that children and adults who suffer from ADHD may recover faster from COVID-19 compared to the general population, and link this to "evolutionary advantages" that help them cope with the disease

ADHD. Illustration: shutterstock
ADHD. Illustration: shutterstock

Recently, scientific studies were published that determined that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the risk factors for contracting the corona virus. The Israeli study, conducted during the first wave of the Corona virus led by Dr. Yevgeni Marzon, director of the managed medicine department of Leumit Health Services, found that Those with ADHD who are not treated with medication had a 68 percent higher risk of contracting the corona virus, compared to corona patients without ADHD disorder. The researchers estimated that people suffering from these disorders find it very difficult to maintain social distance, adhere to hygiene guidelines and deal with quarantine restrictions. They will find it difficult to walk with a mask on their face for a long time, and are also characterized by excessive frenzy and touching their faces, situations that increase their chances of infection.

Another group of Israeli researchers, who recently studied the paradox of obesity and the corona (the negative relationship between the increasing prevalence of the problem of being overweight and the chance of contracting the corona and dealing with the disease), also carried out a test aimed at examining the relationship between attention and concentration disorders and the corona disease. The findings of Dr. Yuval Arbel from the Western Galilee Academy, Dr. Haim Pialkoff from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr. Amihai Kerner from the Netanya Academic College and Dr. Miriam Kerner from the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion, were recently published in the academic journal "Journal of Attention Disorders" . The researchers analyzed average data from 54 regions (50 states and four protected areas) in the USA, and examined the relationship between the prevalence of the number of people dealing with ADHD disorders among adults in relation to the population of each of the regions, and indicators of infection, recovery and mortality from corona, all in relation to the population In each region - this is based on current data until August 2020.

The findings show that the expected probability of recovery from the corona virus increases from 0.41% in countries with a relatively low prevalence of ADHD (3%) to 1.20% in countries with a relatively high prevalence of ADHD (13%). In addition, in contrast to the definition of ADHD as a risk factor for contracting the corona virus in previous studies, no connection was found in the current study between an increase in the prevalence of ADHD in the American population and infection or mortality from the corona virus considering the population data in each country. The only connection found, therefore, is between ADHD and recovery from Corona.

What can explain these findings? According to the researchers, it is possible that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can provide an evolutionary advantage against the corona virus, as can be seen from the recovery data in American countries, and as is known from the research literature in the field of ADHD, which also refers to positive features of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, such as creativity, high energy levels, entrepreneurial ability and more (Shelley-Trembly and Rosen, 1996).

To clarify their words, the researchers give the example of the genetic disease sickle cell anemia, a well-known African genetic disease. People who received the gene for sickle cell anemia from both of their parents will suffer from a severe genetic disease throughout their lives and their life expectancy will be shortened, but the aforementioned gene creates a unique genetic advantage for them to deal effectively with another disease - malaria, one of the deadliest diseases in the world today. In addition, there is a 50% chance that only one of their parents is a carrier of the gene, in which case their offspring will enjoy the benefit of the gene - a natural vaccine against malaria - without paying the price of a serious genetic disease. 

"Our hypothesis is that people dealing with ADHD may have been given genetic advantages by nature to fight against the COVID-19 virus and recover from it," explains Dr. Arbel, who serves as the head of the economics department at the Western Galilee Academy, and Dr. Fialkoff from the Institute for Urban and Regional Studies adds that "The study shows a surprising statistical relationship at the state level, which should be examined more deeply in order to refine the genetic or physiological explanations."

for the scientific article

More of the topic in Hayadan:

7 תגובות

  1. I was with many corona patients that I know on a daily basis and I noticed (without seeing it being talked about at all) that those who are more prone to attention and concentration problems suffer less from the symptoms, for example the terrible fatigue (some have talked about brain fatigue great difficulty thinking), and more in general, and when I would ask someone how I would have guessed in advance that the corona virus passed on him or passed him and I was very surprised how related it is.

  2. Really nonsense. We all went through corona at home. And not all the attention and concentration my sweeties didn't get through it any shorter. 1 short 1 average and 2 actually relatively long

  3. In my opinion, the researchers suffer from tsomi disorder.
    So much nonsense that is not backed by facts.
    My eight-year-old daughter could also put it this way.
    Friends... this science is for the serious and not for a bunch of crystal ball whisperers.

  4. There is no control over the age of the patients. There is variation in the age distribution of patients in the countries examined.
    For example, the mortality rate in Bnei Brak is much lower than the rate in Ramat Gan, since the subjects tested are younger.

  5. It is hard for me to believe that there are good statistics for comparing the rate of ADHD in different countries.

  6. A bit out of touch with reality. Today attention and concentration problems are considered neurological problems and not respiratory problems, and if no connection is found between corona and the nervous system, there is no connection between corona and attention and concentration problems.

Leave a Reply

Email will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismat to prevent spam messages. Click here to learn how your response data is processed.