It seems that the new coronavirus (Covid 19) affects some people more than others, as they have only mild symptoms, and others are admitted to hospital, and they use respirators. Although scientists initially believed that age is the dominant factor, as young people survive the worst complications, new research has revealed a group of factors, which affect the severity of the disease. These effects can explain why some of the young people who were healthy were completely in a difficult position after they fell ill, while elderly patients did not need critical interventions.
Here are the seven factors:
1- Age
About 8 out of 10 Covid-19 deaths have occurred in the United States among older adults 65 and older, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risk of death from infection, and the possibility of hospitalization or intensive medical care, increases dramatically with age. For example, adults between the ages of 65 and 84 make up an estimated 4 to 11% of corona deaths, in the United States, while old people aged 85 and over make up 10 to 27%.
This trend may be partly due to the fact that many elderly people suffer from chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, which can exacerbate symptoms of "Covid-19", according to the CDC. "News News" reported that the ability of the immune system to fight pathogens decreases with age, which makes the elderly vulnerable to severe viral infection.
2- Diabetes
It appears that diabetes mellitus, which is a group of disorders that lead to high levels of sugar in the blood, is also linked to the risk of infection, "Corona", the most severe.
The most common form in the United States is type 2 diabetes, which occurs when body cells do not respond to the hormone insulin. After reviewing 13 related studies, scientists found that people with diabetes were 3.7 times more likely to be exposed to a "Covid-19" critical condition, or to die from disease, compared to non-critical HIV patients (including disease). Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or respiratory disease).
However, scientists do not know whether diabetes directly increases the severity of "Covid-19", or whether other health conditions that appear to be associated with diabetes, including cardiovascular and kidney diseases, are the cause.
3- Heart diseases and high blood pressure
People who have cardiovascular conditions, such as heart disease and high blood pressure, generally have worse complications with Covid-19, compared to those without pre-existing conditions, according to the American Heart Association. However, healthy people can also experience heart damage due to a viral infection.
A scientific study reported that the first reported death of a coronavirus, in the United States, for example, occurred when the virus damaged, in one way or another, a woman's heart muscle, which eventually led to her rupture. The 57-year-old was in good health and exercising regularly before she became infected, and was reported to have had a healthy heart, size and weight were normal. A study of Corona patients in Wuhan found that more than one in five patients had heart damage, and some patients whose samples were taken suffered severe heart conditions, while others did not.
4- Smoking
Cigarette smoke can make the body susceptible to coronavirus infection in several ways, according to a recent medical report. Basically, smokers may be susceptible to viral infection, because exposure to smoke suppresses the immune system, over time, damages the tissues of the respiratory system and causes chronic inflammation. Smoking is also linked to many conditions, such as emphysema and atherosclerosis, which may worsen the symptoms of «Covid-19».
A recent study relied on an extensive database on the cause of severe "Covid-19" infection in smokers.
But scientists do not know whether the increase in ACE2 receptors, due to smoking, translates directly into the worst symptoms of "corona." It is also not known whether high ACE2 levels are relatively unique in smokers, or common among people with chronic lung disease.
5- Obesity
Numerous early studies have indicated a link between obesity and the "Covid-19" disease. And one study, which analyzed data for a group of Corona patients, who were younger than 60 years old, in New York City, found that those who were obese were more likely to be affected, twice as often as non-obese, and more were entered into critical care compared to With others.
A preliminary study in the Chinese "Shenzhen", which has not been reviewed by Western scientists, found that "Covid-19" patients who suffer from obesity more than doubled their risk of developing acute pneumonia, compared to patients whose weight was normal.
6- Blood group
The blood group appears to be an indication of a person's susceptibility to infection with the emerging corona virus, although scientists have not found a link between the blood group itself and the severity of the disease.
It remains unknown if the blood group increases or reduces the risk of a person having "Covid-19". A person's blood type refers to the type of specific fenders that cover the surface of blood cells. These fenders produce specific antibodies to help fight pathogens.
Previous research found that at least in SARS, the antibody of the A species helped inhibit the virus, and this same mechanism could be with Covid 19, and the blood type o helps people prevent the virus, according to a team of Chinese researchers.
7- Genetics
Scientists say that some genetic factors may make some people particularly vulnerable to disease, and many research groups aim to locate where these vulnerabilities exist in our genetic code.
Science has reported that genes that direct cells to build ACE2 receptors may differ between people who are highly infected and those who show no symptoms at all. Differences may lie in the genes that help mobilize the immune system against pathogens.
For example, a study, published in April, in the journal Virology, indicates that certain combinations of the genes of human leukocyte repellants (HLA) that train immune cells to recognize germs may be protective against Covid-19. , While other combinations leave the body vulnerable to attack.
However, these buffers are only one shield in our immune system, so their relative influence on Corona infection remains unclear. In addition, a study of the Journal of Bacteriology used computer models to simulate HLA activity against coronavirus. Clinical and genetic data from HIV patients will be needed to clarify the role of these buffers in immune responses.
Adults between the ages of 65 and 84 make up an estimated 4 to 11% of corona deaths, in the United States, while old people aged 85 and over make up 10 to 27%.
Genes that direct cells to build ACE2 receptors, may differ between those with severe infections, and those who show no symptoms at all. Differences may lie in the genes that help mobilize the immune system against pathogens.
Cigarette smoke can make the body susceptible to coronavirus infection in several ways, according to a recent medical report. Basically, smokers may be susceptible to viral infection, because exposure to smoke suppresses the immune system, over time, damages the tissues of the respiratory system and causes chronic inflammation.