A U.S. coronavirus study looked at the pre-existing conditions that lead to a severe course of the disease in Covid-19. A previous illness stands out.
- The novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 * can lead to a severe course of the disease, especially in the elderly and people with previous illnesses.
- A US study has now brought further information about the pre-existing diseases concerned.
- Above all, severe overweight is said to be associated with a severe course of the disease.
- Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus *. You can also see the current number of cases in Germany as a map *. The most important thing about the topic is also on our brand new Facebook page Corona News.
New York - In addition to age, previous illnesses in patients are one reason why Covid-19 * takes a severe course. However, as welt.de reports, the biggest risk factor is not asthma or a long smoking career, but the pathological obesity - also called obesity. This is the conclusion that US researchers have drawn from a case study conducted in New York.
Coronavirus: Study Shows Major Risk Factor For Severe Disease In Covid-19
The study examined 4,100 Covid-19 patients between March 1 and April 1. The result: 40 percent of the patients who had to be treated in hospital were obese. About half of these had to be artificially ventilated due to the course of the disease. "The chronic disease most closely associated with severe Covid infection * is obesity - and at a substantially higher risk ratio than any cardiovascular or lung disease," the study says.
The observations of Karsten Schmidts, specialist in anesthesia and senior consultant in the anaesthesiological intensive care unit at the University Hospital Essen, also coincide with the findings of the US study: “Most of the patients who come to the intensive care unit with severe Covid courses are with us actually overweight to obese. The normal weight are outnumbered, ”Fischer told welt.de.
Coronavirus: overweight as a risk group? Specialist warns against wrong conclusions
However, he warns against drawing incorrect conclusions from his observations. Not everyone who is very fat is automatically a risk patient *. Especially in the United States, morbid obesity has long since become a widespread disease. According to a study by the CDC health agency, over 42 percent of adults in the United States suffer from obesity. The authors around the infectious medicine doctor Jennifer Lighter also write: "Unfortunately, it turns out that obesity in people under the age of 60 must be seen as a new epidemiological risk factor that may contribute to the increased number of diseases in the USA".
fd
* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
List of rubric lists: © dpa / Marcos Maldonado
