Friday May 23, 2025
NEWSLETTER
www.israelhayom.com
  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
  • In Memoriam
www.israelhayom.com
  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
  • In Memoriam
www.israelhayom.com
Home Science & Technology

Study: People with ADHD more likely to recover from COVID

Israeli team publishes findings that indicate that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder could provide an evolutionary "edge," contradicting earlier findings that linked ADHD to COVID morbidity.

by  ILH Staff
Published on  10-06-2020 12:30
Last modified: 10-07-2020 06:03
Study: People with ADHD more likely to recover from COVIDClay Banks via Unsplash.com

Could ADHD be an evolutionary advantage? | Illustration: Clay Banks via Unsplash.com

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A number of recently-published studies have shown that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for contracting the coronavirus. During the first wave in Israel, Dr. Yvgeny Marzon of Leumit Health Services conducted a study that found that untreated ADHD sufferers are at 68% higher risk of being infected than non-ADHD people. Researchers think that the correlation has to do with the fact that non-treated ADHD sufferers find it difficult to maintain social distancing and handle the restrictions of a lockdown.

Researchers also found that ADHD made it difficult for people to wear masks for any length of time and tend to touch their faces more frequently than people usually do, both of which increase the likelihood of contracting the virus.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

But now findings from another group of researchers who probed proposed links between ADHD and COVID contradict these studies.

Dr. Yuval Arbel of Western Galilee College, Dr. Chaim Fialkoff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr. Amichai Kerner of Netanya Academic College and Dr. Miryam Kerner of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology looked at the prevalence of ADHD in adults in 54 areas in the United States and compared it to the COVID morbidity, recovery, and mortality rates in those areas as of August 2020.

In work published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, the research team reveals that  despite the earlier studies that defined ADHD as a risk factor for COVID, there were no links between ADHD and morbidity or mortality from COVID in any US state. Recovery from the virus, however, appears to be a different matter: the team found that COVID patients were more likely to recover in states where ADHD is relatively common, or at least more frequently diagnosed.

The researchers proposed an explanation for the apparent link between ADHD and recovery from COVID – that ADHD might provide an evolutionary "edge."

"Our hypothesis is that people who deal with ADHD have certain natural advantages in fighting COVID-19 and recovering from it," Arbel explained.

"The study indicates a surprising statistical link on the state level that should be examined in greater depth in order to bring genetic or physiological explanations to light," Fialkoff said.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

Tags: ADHDCoronavirusCOVIDevolution

Related Posts

Scientists detect life's faint glow that vanishes at moment of deathGetty Images / sdominick

Scientists detect life's faint glow that vanishes at moment of death

by Erez Linn

Our bodies emit faint light that stops when we die, according to shocking new research from Canadian scientists.

Harvard loses $2.2B after refusing Trump's campus safety demandsReuters

Over 100 colleges are at war with Trump – what happened?

by Adi Nirman

America’s top universities are now fighting back against the president's antiesemitism federal task force, established following an unprecedented surge in...

Universe will end sooner than expected, scientists sayNASA / AFP

Universe will end sooner than expected, scientists say

by ILH Staff

Dutch scientists discover the universe is falling apart faster than we thought – all stars will burn out in 10^78...

Menu

Analysis 

Archaeology

Blogpost

Business & Finance

Culture

Exclusive

Explainer

Environment

 

Features

Health

In Brief

Jewish World

Judea and Samaria

Lifestyle

Cyber & Internet

Sports

 

Diplomacy 

Iran & The Gulf

Gaza Strip

Politics

Shopping

Terms of use

Privacy Policy

Submissions

Contact Us

About Us

The first issue of Israel Hayom appeared on July 30, 2007. Israel Hayom was founded on the belief that the Israeli public deserves better, more balanced and more accurate journalism. Journalism that speaks, not shouts. Journalism of a different kind. And free of charge.

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il

  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
    • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Health & Wellness
  • In Memoriam
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Submit your opinion
  • Terms and conditions

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il

Newsletter

[contact-form-7 id=”508379″ html_id=”isrh_form_Newsletter_en” title=”newsletter_subscribe”]

  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
    • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Health & Wellness
  • In Memoriam
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Submit your opinion
  • Terms and conditions

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il