Infection with the coronavirus is mild in most cases. The disease Covid-19 can also be fatal and the number of confirmed infections increases exponentially. Who is the corona virus particularly dangerous for?
- Various factors increase the risk of serious courses of a coronavirus infection.
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The older the patient, the higher the likelihood that a coronavirus infection will lead to serious complications. In addition, there are other factors that increase the risk of a severe course of the lung disease Covid-19.
Overview of article content:
Corona virus: what protects against infection?
Mortality rate at Covid-19 increases dramatically with age
The risk of developing Covid-19 is severe the older the patient is. According to the virologist Christian Drosten from Charité Berlin, the death rate from infection with the corona virus changes as follows, depending on the age group:
20-25 percent in people over 80 years with Covid-19
7-8 percent in people between 70 and 80 years of age
3 percent in 60-70 year old coronavirus sufferers
1-1.5 percent in 50-60 year old infected
0.2–0.4 percent in people under the age of 50
The numbers make it clear that very old age dramatically increases the risk of particularly severe courses of Covid-19.
Previous illnesses increase the risk of coronavirus
In addition to age, previous illnesses also play a decisive role in how severe a coronavirus infection is. The reason for this, as with old age, is that previous illnesses can weaken the immune system.
According to the current state of knowledge, people with previous diseases of the cardiovascular system seem to be most at risk. Depending on the previous illness, scientists have calculated the following death rates for people infected with Covid 19:
Cardiovascular diseases: 10.5 percent
Diabetes: 7.3 percent
chronic respiratory diseases, for example asthma: 6.3 percent
Hypertension: 6 percent
Cancer: 5.6 percent
Simultaneous bacterial or viral infections (such as flu) can lead to an increased risk from the disease Covid-19. In this context, it makes sense that flu vaccination protection exists and in particular people over the age of 60 can be vaccinated against pneumococci if there is insufficient vaccination protection or the vaccination status is unclear.
Weakened immune system favors severe course of Covid-19
People with a weakened immune system also belong to the risk group for a severe course of the lung disease Covid-19 caused by the coronavirus. The body's immune system can be reduced for various reasons. Underlying diseases are often the cause of a weak immune system, for example:
- Metabolic disorders
- Chronic respiratory diseases
- cancer
- AIDS
- leukemia
- certain autoimmune diseases
But taking medication, such as cortisone, can also be responsible for a weakened immune system and favor a severe course of Covid-19.
Men particularly at risk from corona virus
Gender also appears to have an impact on the severity of the course of a coronavirus infection. Previous deaths from Covid-19 show that the "strong sex" is more at risk for fatalities:
A mortality rate of 2.8 percent was calculated for men. With a mortality rate of 1.7 percent, women tend to get through infection with the coronavirus better.
Why men have a higher risk of developing a fatal course of Covid 19 disease has not yet been clearly clarified. However, physicians assume that two factors play a role here:
Immune system: The female immune system generally seems to be stronger than that of men.
Lifestyle factors: Women tend to pay more attention to their health than men. This means that you have a lower risk of previous illnesses (such as cardiovascular diseases) that favor a severe course of Covid-19.
Lifestyle factors affect the risk of coronavirus infections
Lifestyle factors that can be influenced could also increase the risk of a severe course of a coronavirus infection. This includes smoking. Tobacco use increases the risk of (chronic) respiratory and lung diseases, including COPD.
Smoking also has a negative impact on the immune system. Since the coronavirus can be dangerous primarily due to the possible outbreak of fatal pneumonia, smokers are expected to have an increased risk of developing severe respiratory disease Covid-19. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) therefore officially lists smokers as a risk group.
How can healthy risk groups protect?
Since older and sick people are particularly at risk for a severe course of the lung disease Covid-19, they deserve special protection. Incidentally, personal contact with young, symptom-free people can be dangerous for risk groups. Because a coronavirus infection often runs without symptoms and heals undetected.
In the event of unavoidable personal contact with risk groups, healthy people should therefore pay particular attention to the usual hygiene measures.
If you know people in your immediate area who belong to one of the risk groups of the coronavirus, you can offer them your help, for example by running errands. With your help, however, avoid unnecessarily close contact in order not to unnecessarily endanger particularly vulnerable groups of people.
What are the symptoms of the coronavirus?
