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Coronavirus: Age isn’t the only factor in COVID-19 severity, experts say

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Coronavirus: Age isn’t the only factor in COVID-19 severity, experts say

Older people remain most at risk of dying as the new coronavirus continues its rampage around the globe, but they’re far from the only ones vulnerable. One of many mysteries: Men seem to be faring worse than women.

And as cases skyrocket in the U.S. and Europe, it’s becoming more clear that how healthy you were before the pandemic began plays a key role in how you fare regardless of how old you are.

READ MORE: Canada to provide more funding for seniors, vulnerable amid coronavirus pandemic: Trudeau

The majority of people who get COVID-19 have mild or moderate symptoms. But “majority” doesn’t mean “all,” and that raises an important question: Who should worry most that they’ll be among the seriously ill? While it will be months before scientists have enough data to say for sure who is most at risk and why, preliminary numbers from early cases around the world are starting to offer hints.

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NOT JUST THE OLD WHO GET SICK

Senior citizens undoubtedly are the hardest hit by COVID-19. In China, 80 per cent of deaths were among people in their 60s or older, and that general trend is playing out elsewhere.

The graying of the population means some countries face particular risk. Italy has the world’s second oldest population after Japan. While death rates fluctuate wildly early in an outbreak, Italy has reported more than 80 per cent of deaths so far were among those 70 or older.

2:01 Coronavirus outbreak: Young people will be impacted by virus says Gov. Newsom

Coronavirus outbreak: Young people will be impacted by virus says Gov. Newsom

But, “the idea that this is purely a disease that causes death in older people we need to be very, very careful with,” Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief, warned.

As much as 10 per cent to 15 per cent of people under 50 have moderate to severe infection, he said Friday.

Even if they survive, the middle-aged can spend weeks in the hospital. In France, more than half of the first 300 people admitted to intensive care units were under 60.

“Young people are not invincible,” WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove added, saying more information is needed about the disease in all age groups.

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Italy reported that a quarter of its cases so far were among people ages 19 to 50. In Spain, a third are under age 44. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s first snapshot of cases found 29 per cent were ages 20 to 44.

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Then there’s the puzzle of children, who have made up a small fraction of the world’s case counts to date. But while most appear only mildly ill, in the journal Pediatrics researchers traced 2,100 infected children in China and noted one death, a 14-year-old, and that nearly 6 per cent were seriously ill.

READ MORE: Canada to provide more funding for seniors, vulnerable amid coronavirus pandemic: Trudeau

Another question is what role kids have in spreading the virus: “There is an urgent need for further investigation of the role children have in the chain of transmission,” researchers at Canada’s Dalhousie University wrote in The Lancet Infectious Diseases

THE RISKIEST HEALTH CONDITIONS

Put aside age: Underlying health plays a big role. In China, 40 per cent of people who required critical care had other chronic health problems. And there, deaths were highest among people who had heart disease, diabetes or chronic lung diseases before they got COVID-19.

Preexisting health problems also can increase risk of infection, such as people who have weak immune systems including from cancer treatment.

Other countries now are seeing how pre-pandemic health plays a role, and more such threats are likely to be discovered. Italy reported that of the first nine people younger than 40 who died of COVID-19, seven were confirmed to have “grave pathologies” such as heart disease.

2:04 Coronavirus outbreak: Footage of woman hospitalized due to COVID-19 goes viral

Coronavirus outbreak: Footage of woman hospitalized due to COVID-19 goes viral

The more health problems, the worse they fare. Italy also reports about half of people who died with COVID-19 had three or more underlying conditions, while just 2 per cent of deaths were in people with no preexisting ailments.

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Heart disease is a very broad term, but so far it looks like those most at risk have significant cardiovascular diseases such as congestive heart failure or severely stiffened and clogged arteries, said Dr. Trish Perl, infectious disease chief at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Any sort of infection tends to make diabetes harder to control, but it’s not clear why diabetics appear to be at particular risk with COVID-19.

Risks in the less healthy may have something to do with how they hold up if their immune systems overreact to the virus. Patients who die often seemed to have been improving after a week or so only to suddenly deteriorate — experiencing organ-damaging inflammation.

As for preexisting lung problems, “this is really happening in people who have less lung capacity,” Perl said, because of diseases such as COPD — chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — or cystic fibrosis.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: How COVID-19 is spreading across Canada

Asthma also is on the worry list. No one really knows about the risk from very mild asthma, although even routine respiratory infections often leave patients using their inhalers more often and they’ll need monitoring with COVID-19, she said. What about a prior bout of pneumonia? Unless it was severe enough to put you on a ventilator, that alone shouldn’t have caused any significant lingering damage, she said.

THE GENDER MYSTERY

Perhaps the gender imbalance shouldn’t be a surprise: During previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS — cousins to COVID-19 — scientists noticed men seemed more susceptible than women.

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This time around, slightly more than half the COVID-19 deaths in China were among men. Other parts of Asia saw similar numbers. Then Europe, too, spotted what Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, labeled a concerning trend.

In Italy, where men so far make up 58 per cent of infections, male deaths are outpacing female deaths and the increased risk starts at age 50, according to a report from Italy’s COVID-19 surveillance group.

2:01 U.S. becomes the world’s new coronavirus epicentre

U.S. becomes the world’s new coronavirus epicentre

The U.S. CDC hasn’t yet released details. But one report about the first nearly 200 British patients admitted to critical care found about two-thirds were male.

One suspect: Globally, men are more likely to have smoked more heavily and for longer periods than women. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control is urging research into smoking’s connection to COVID-19.

Hormones may play a role, too. In 2017, University of Iowa researchers infected mice with SARS and, just like had happened in people, males were more likely to die. Estrogen seemed protective — when their ovaries were removed, deaths among female mice jumped, the team reported in the Journal of Immunology.

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AP writers Nicole Winfield in Rome, Maria Cheng in London and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

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j-kaiwa · 5 years

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Discussion Article March 4th

12 Stereotypes of British People You Need to Know About

When you jet off around the world it’s important you know what you’re letting yourself in for, and a part of that is knowing what the world thinks of you.

That stranger in the bunk bed, the lads on your tour bus and couple in the corner may not know you yet, but once you say you’re British they’ll make a few assumptions. These are just a few of those typical British stereotypes you’ll have to either live up to, or battle off on your gap year.

1. British people drink a lot of tea

This is one stereotype that, most of the time, is actually right. We Brits love to sip, slurp and gulp down tea while occasionally dunking a digestive in there too. The fact that those abroad know about our love of tea means no one will be surprised when you whip out the Tetley’s.

If you want to take it a step further, stick your pinky out when sipping to ensure you fulfil the stereotype of a British tea-drinker.

2. We’re all friends with the Queen

Many foreigners you meet will ask if you’ve ever met the Queen. For most of us, the answer is obviously a big fat ‘no’, but that won’t stop your new foreign friends from quizzing you about the rest of the royals. No, you don’t party with Prince Harry or shop with Kate, but you do know a person who knows a person… or, you could just make up some big elaborate story about how, yes, you were there for the Royal Wedding, and yes, Harry is a Facebook friend.

3. We’ve never seen sunshine

Yes, it’s true, our weather isn’t the best and that’s something most travellers you meet will be able to trump you on, but that’s OK. We have David Beckham, Downtown Abbey and One Direction so a lack of sunshine is something we can live with. And there’s always that one day in the summer.

4. We can’t handle said sunshine

As a result of the bad British weather, the general consensus is that when Brits are exposed to the sun we just can’t handle it. It’s tops off, tanning oil and no sunscreen so our white skin goes straight from pale to pink. Battle this stereotype by getting the perfect tan through constant sun lotion application, over a prolonged period of time, and show them exactly who’s been kissed by the sun.

5. The Brits watch a lot of TV

For some reason around the world, we’re thought of as couch potatoes addicted to our tellies. Yeah sure, we love a period drama and get glued to the X Factor or a bit of Strictly but we’re not all about the little screens.

6. And speak rather posh

Accents obviously vary from town to town in GB but it’s still a common misconception that all Brits speak like The Queen. This leads to a lot of confusion when you say you’re British with a Yorkshire / Geordie twang. Prepare to do some explaining…

7. We’re mad about football

With all of our football teams, sports bars and international stars you can see how other people might believe it’s all we think about. If you’re not a fan, you’ll quickly learn to pretend you are and arm yourself with a make-believe favourite club, because overseas locals love to ask who you support.

Or in my case, you just have to shut down any footie related conversation with the revelation that you’re a Brit who doesn’t even know the rules of football, let alone have any interest.

8. And love a good drink

Perhaps it’s the amount of pubs we have, our legal street drinking or the fact that bingeing is our weekend habit – whatever it is, word has got around that Brits love the booze. This means you may get a few furtive glances if you’re not on the liquor but it also means you’re unlikely to be challenged at drinking games. The Australians think they can take top place on the leader board, but we know different.

9. We’re super polite

That would be correct – polite and proud. We are overtly appreciative and profusely apologetic, but it’s what makes us so darn nice. We’d encourage you not to try to prove this one wrong. Thank you, please.

10. We eat terrible food

With fish and chips, Sunday dinners and Nando’s, it’s hard to believe that other nations think the UK doesn’t serve up good grub. You should defend our foodie goods to the death and if they don’t believe you, ask your new travel buds to visit you back home where you can show them that nothing beats a Saturday night kebab.

11. We live in castles and cottages

Movies have a lot to answer for when it comes to stereotypes and it’s because of flicks like Braveheart, Harry Potter and The Holiday that others around the world believe our accommodation options are very twee and traditional. They haven’t seen the new build cul de sacs or council house estates where the majority of us dwell – up to you whether you feel the need to enlighten them or not.

12. Us Brits are emotionally stunted

Again, this could be one brought about by the movies or those awfully posh accents we’re believed to have, or Hugh Grant; either way it’s thought that Brits aren’t the best when it comes to showing their emotions or even saying what they mean. We know that we’re far from emotionally dead and love a good cry at Corrie, but to the rest of the world we stay tight-lipped, always keep calm and just carry on. A great philosophy for life if you ask me.

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