People over the age of 80 years and those with chronic diseases seem to be the most vulnerable to Covid-19 than other groups.
Why are older people at more risk? To start with, the likelihood of having chronic conditions increases fairly significantly as you get older. But the presence of chronic conditions only partially explains the higher death rate in older people.
As you age, your immune system gets weaker. This results in making older people more vulnerable to a variety of infections.
The immune system’s response heightens in older people. This is where the immune system actually overreacts and over produces the chemicals needed to fight off an infection.
This results in a severe inflammatory reaction which has the potential to cause significant damage in the body, including the failure of various organs.
The biggest risk factor for dying of Covid-19 is cardiovascular (heart) disease, with a death rate estimated to be about 10.5%. But no one knows why yet.
This doesn’t mean that being infected by Covid-19 necessarily causes a heart attack, it is just that people with underlying heart problems are more likely to become seriously ill and die from complications of the new coronavirus.
The increased risk of severe disease for those with diabetes is understandable. Diabetes depresses the immune system function and makes it harder to fight off viral infections.
Elevated blood sugar levels in people with diabetes may be a better environment for viruses to thrive.
The enhanced risk of severe disease from Covid-19 in people with chronic respiratory illnesses such as asthma and lung diseases are perhaps the likeliest underlying conditions of concern.
Respiratory conditions, including uncontrolled asthma, which causes inflammation of a person’s airways could be exacerbated by infection with Covid-19, which also targets the airways.
Older people, and people with these conditions should take extra precautions to stay away from others, practise social distancing, keep up with their medications, wipe their hands often, clean surfaces, and keep in touch with their doctors, especially if their conditions change.
Andrew Mastrandonas is an elderly care/home care and health tech executive based in Kuala Lumpur. For additional information on finding a caregiver or other care services at home, go to https://hello.pillarcare.com/ or call / text / WhatsApp the Care Hotline: +60 17-805 9677 for immediate assistance.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR LIVE UPDATE OF THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA