The list of who’s most at risk for severe cases just got longer
- The older you are, the greater your risk of suffering a severe case of C19, according to new guidance from the CDC.
- The CDC has previously warned that people over 65 were especially vulnerable to severe illness if they became infected by the coronavirus. And that is still true.
- But more recent data from across the United States shows that younger adults are also at risk and should not assume they will be spared from a serious case of the disease.
- “CDC now warns that among adults, risk increases steadily as you age, and it’s not just those over the age of 65 who are at increased risk for severe illness,” the agency warned Thursday. “Age is an independent risk factor for severe illness.”
- Data published last week in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report revealed that the median age of Americans with confirmed coronavirus cases was 48 years old. That means half of those infected were older than 48 and half were younger.
- In fact, among more than 1.3 million cases reported through May 30, the incidence was higher among people in their 40s and 50s than for those in their 60s and 70s. Specifically, there were 541.6 cases per 100,000 people ages 40-49 and 550.5 cases per 100,000 people ages 50-59, compared with 478.4 cases per 100,000 people ages 60-69 and 464.2 cases per 100,000 people ages 70-79. [NOTE: The fact that younger people are being infected at greater rates than the elderly is that the elderly are practicing greater caution and social distancing than the younger age groups.]
- The highest incidence was seen in the oldest Americans, with 902 cases per 100,000 people ages 80 and up, according to the report.
- Among those who become infected with the coronavirus, the risk of dying from C19 increases sharply with age, the latest data show. Although the overall mortality rate for those 1.3 million cases was 5.4%, it was 1% or lower for Americans under 50. However, it was 2.4% for those in their 50s, 6.7% for those in their 60s, 16.6% for those in their 70s and 28.7% for those 80 and up.
- The risk of being hospitalized for C19 was slightly higher for people in their 70s (34.1% of those infected) than for those who had passed their 80th birthday (32.5%). Similarly, the risk of being admitted to an intensive care unit was higher for those in their 60s (4.1%) and 70s (5.6%) than for those 80 and above (3.6%).
- The new CDC statement also updated the list of underlying health conditions that are associated with an increased risk of a severe case of C19. The most common is obesity, a condition that affects 42.5% of adults in the U.S. (Obesity is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or greater. You can check yours online.)
- The estimated 14% of U.S. adults who have chronic kidney disease are also more vulnerable to a severe case of C19, as are the roughly 12% of U.S. adults with type 2 diabetes, according to the CDC’s new guidance.
- Other medical conditions that increase the risk for severe C19 illness include serious heart conditions like coronary artery disease and heart failure; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; sickle cell disease, and taking drugs that suppress the immune system after receiving an organ transplant.
- There is “consistent evidence” in reliable medical studies that each of these conditions is associated with an increased risk of developing a severe case of C19. And when combined, the risk is even greater.
- “The more underlying medical conditions people have, the higher their risk,” the CDC said.
- The agency also updated its list of conditions that might belong on that list and could be added as researchers learn more about C19. These include:
- Moderate or severe asthma
- Cerebrovascular disease, which affects the blood vessels that supply the brain
- Cystic fibrosis
- High blood pressure
- Being immunocompromised as a result of a bone marrow transplant, HIV infection or another reason besides an organ transplant
- Dementia and other neurologic conditions
- Liver disease
- Pregnancy
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Smoking
- Thalassemia, a disorder that reduces the amount of oxygen carried by red blood cells
- Type 1 diabetes
Source: The list of who’s most at risk for severe cases of COVID-19 just got longer, CDC says