GiViTI COVID19 MEETING 10.03.2020 - INTENSIVE PATIENTS CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATIENTS
• Most patients are around 70 years old
• Among the most frequent comorbidities there is OBESITY
• Net prevalence in the male population
It’s probably not obesity per se. Elderly populations will usually have comorbidities including hypertension, IHD, diabetes and obesity. Re: COVID-19 in particular, obesity adversely effects pulmonary mechanics, particularly when prone.
Still. China has a lower rate of obesity in its population than Italy. Italy has a lower rate of obesity in its population than these United States. All else being equal, which is a pretty big “if,” we should expect a higher COVID-19 mortality in countries with high percentage of obese patients like North America and England.
PS: If you read the linked JAMA Network article, it delicately addresses the “Italians are fatter” point thusly: “Another explanation is that the Italian population is different from the Chinese population, with predisposing factors such as race, age, and comorbidities…”
CFR[Case Fatality Rate] was elevated among those with preexisting comorbid conditions—10.5% for cardiovascular disease, 7.3% for diabetes, 6.3% for chronic respiratory disease, 6.0% for hypertension, and 5.6% for cancer
How many millions of Americans have one or more of those preexisting comorbidities?
Not some blogger in mommy’s basement, an article at The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 March 2020:
Italy may abandon citizens over 80 years old to their own fate as the coronavirus crisis grows.
https://amp.smh.com.au/world/europe/italy-may-abandon-over-80s-to-their-fate-as-crisis-grows-20200315-p54a75.html
……and the typical Democrats in America observe, take notes and keep nudging, biding their time until……
Yup. Check out this video from doctors in Italy from last week. It says:
It’s probably not obesity per se. Elderly populations will usually have comorbidities including hypertension, IHD, diabetes and obesity. Re: COVID-19 in particular, obesity adversely effects pulmonary mechanics, particularly when prone.
Still. China has a lower rate of obesity in its population than Italy. Italy has a lower rate of obesity in its population than these United States. All else being equal, which is a pretty big “if,” we should expect a higher COVID-19 mortality in countries with high percentage of obese patients like North America and England.
We’ll know more in two weeks, I fear.
PS: If you read the linked JAMA Network article, it delicately addresses the “Italians are fatter” point thusly: “Another explanation is that the Italian population is different from the Chinese population, with predisposing factors such as race, age, and comorbidities…”
Also this:
How many millions of Americans have one or more of those preexisting comorbidities?