A recent study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) has suggested that men have a higher risk of dying from the coronavirus (30 per cent) than women of the same age and health status.

Furthermore, it reported an elevated risk for hospitalised Covid-19 patients if they were men, said the study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The researchers carried out an extensive study involving 67,000 hospitalised Covid-19 patients in 613 hospitals across the United States.

Also read: Covid-19 positive people with mental health problems at high risk of dying from virus: Study

They also stated that people who were obese, and suffered from hypertension and diabetes, were at a greater risk of dying from the virus.

The study observed that coronavirus patients, whose age ranged between 20 to 39, with these conditions, had the biggest difference in their risk of dying compared to their healthier peers.

“Knowledge is power in many ways; so I think understanding which hospitalised Covid-19 patients are at highest risk of mortality can help guide difficult treatment decisions,” said study corresponding author Anthony D Harris.

The researchers asked healthcare providers to keep these parameters in mind while dealing with Covid-19 patients.

The findings of the study are in line with the previous studies that said men are more susceptible to Covid-19 and people with co-morbidities, including diabetes and hypertension, are at a greater risk of dying from the virus.

The study stated that around 19 per cent of hospitalized Covid-19 patients died from the infection with the lowest mortality among paediatric patients, which was less than 2 per cent.

Also read: WHO releases physical activity guidelines to stay healthy

Mortality rates increased with each decade of life, with the highest mortality, 34 per cent, among those aged 80 and older.

“Older patients still have the highest risk of dying, but younger patients with obesity or hypertension have the highest risk of dying relative to other patients their age without these conditions,” said study lead author Katherine E Goodman.

Related Topics