Dr. Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic is helping prepare a paper for Ohio and other states about how to think about reopening their states. You can see some of his data
here.
He includes this chart about death rates in Ohio, which look much like data from New York, China, and Italy. Clearly the risk of death rises dramatically with age.
But that changes if you factor in other health issues. High blood pressure, smoking, being overweight, lack of exercise, all contribute to increased morbidity. So you can be younger and still be in a high risk category because of your health.
Mystery of the Disease’s Dramatically Varying Symptoms
Some people experience Covid-19 as nothing more than a mild cold, and
others exhibit no symptoms at all. Then there are the thousands who
sicken and, often, die. Scientists are working hard to understand the
underlying reasons for such huge discrepancies in symptoms and outcomes.
Scientists have speculated other factors influence susceptibility, including pre-existing levels of inflammation and immunity, the amount of virus that starts an infection, and patients’ genetic makeup. Some theories that scientists are honing in on include:
- Immune system
- As the body mounts an intense effort to fight off the previously unknown pathogen, the immune system can kick into overdrive — what’s known as a cytokine storm — causing collateral damage that may do more harm than the virus itself.
- Twin landmark studies published Thursday in the journal Science showed that insufficient interferon may lurk at a dangerous turning point in SARS-CoV-2 infections.[10]
- Based on statistics, scientists have also found that:
- Children with less-developed immune systems could be less vulnerable.[2]
- Women may experience severe symptoms less frequently.[4]
- Genetic makeups
- The receptor the virus uses to penetrate host cells, called ACE2, can be present in varying numbers in different people based on their genetics and on environmental factors, such as what medicines they take.
- Prior illness
- Those in harm’s way are older adults and people with conditions that are tied to inflammation. Many of these conditions also have a genetic component.
- Three of the most-powerful risk factors for severe disease are:
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Obesity is a pro-inflammatory state: People who carry extra weight have higher levels of immune response and inflammation
- Diabetes
![Preprint on 16,749 hospitalized #COVID19 patients[5]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbUVWeJOk0nAchXNGTbYejdm6NmSnI9IC-sA18nI7Eb6YeARqHL-EqLALXBoqZbrE4OYQ8WsaN3G05teNfhU6Bm86UTTqa-roGm2hmFrfXv2nQ810ad-CSoc1rQsqLPokzJ1mrD8Vox8T/w500-h278/covid-19-1.jpg "Preprint on 16,749 hospitalized #COVID19 patients[5]")
