Greetings!
I have been following the information on COVID-19 on a several times-a-day basis, both for clinical clues and information on spread, and how bad the outbreak will be. I have been, and remain, hesitant to say too much as epidemiology of pandemics is not my area of expertise. That being said, I may have had no experience in parenting when my children were born, but I still had to do the best I could with what skills and knowledge I had. So here we are.
What is becoming a little less murky is that there are specific risk factors predisposing people to get and/or die from a COVID infection. Advanced age and smoking were the first two factors recognized to increase risk ; however, we now have more information. These are not necessarily things you can change, but knowing that these factors may be putting you or a loved one at higher risk is important. Or on the better side, knowing that despite what you’re reading and seeing around you, you have a lower risk due to taking care of your health and not having these factors.
Comorbid conditions,
the presence of other chronic conditions in someone with COVID, are a large risk factor. In a Chinese study, the death rate for people with COVID, who also had specific comorbidities, was much higher. These factors include:
Comorbidity Death Rate
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
10.5%
Diabetes -
7.3%
Respiratory Conditions (asthma, COPD)
6.3%
Hypertension
6%
Cancer
5.6%
Hypertension really goes hand in hand with CVD, so that suggests an even higher risk.
It is interesting to see that cancer is actually at the bottom of the list, with a death rate from COVID about half of that for people with CVD. That means that severe complications from COVID really is not what we would normally consider an immune deficiency type issue. Oncology patients can likely feel more comfortable than we would have thought previously.
Blood Type-
Well, of course we were going to be interested in blood types! This was a study of susceptibility to contracting COVID, not for outcomes once you have it. It showed that A blood types have about a 21% increased chance of contracting it, while O blood types have a 33% reduced chance. Those of us who are B blood types seem to be neutral.
Gender-
A study from France indicated that men were far more likely to die from COVID than women. The data showed varying estimates in
different countries
. Seventy one
percent of the COVID-19 deaths in Italy were male while in Spain almost twice as many men as women have died.
Others-
Other factors that are just beginning to be recognized include:
- Obesity,
- Kidney Disease, and
- Being African-American or Latinx
How much of these factors are independent or overlapping is unknown. Men are more likely to smoke. People of color are more likely to have other comorbid conditions etc.
Again, there is nothing firm about these numbers yet, and as data come in it will hopefully broaden the picture. A study from China or France may not apply to a US population; however, it is what we have so far. If you are a male, A blood type person of color with cardiovascular disease, you likely should be extra cautious. That of course doesn’t mean female Caucasian O blood types have no concerns.
As the data emerges, I will continue to keep you updated.
