COVID-19: If you ’re older and have chronic health problems, read this

By now, you’ve probably heard this warning about the new coronavirus pandemic: those who are older and have a chronic medical condition are at increased risk for severe disease and death. If you fall into this category, here’s important information about the coronavirus outbreak tailored to you. If you look at the data, older adults and those with chronic health problems who get COVID-19 are more likely to require hospitalization and admission to an intensive care unit. And so far in the US, 80% of the deaths from the new coronavirus virus have occurred in people who were older. But this raises a number of questions: What do they mean by “older”? Which chronic diseases are most important? Why does older age and chronic disease increase your risk? What are you (or your loved ones) supposed to do if you’re at increased risk? “Older” is more than a number When it comes to coronavirus, the CDC’s magic number is now set at 65. That’s the age at which risk of severe disease, complications, and death from COVID-19 appears to rise. But while risk does rise with age, infants, children and adults under age 65 have become infected in significant numbers, and some have severe disease, so everyone needs to take precautions. Which chronic diseases put people at higher risk from COVID-19? What do health experts mean when they talk about chronic diseases that put some people at increased risk of severe disease with COVID-19? It varies, but generally includes people who ha...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Healthy Aging Infectious diseases Men's Health Prevention Women's Health Source Type: blogs