COVID-19 may be more dangerous for young people than heart attacks

COVID-19 can pose an even greater health risk to young people than heart attacks, said scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

According to Foxnews.com, a new study published in the journal Jama Internal Medicine examined data from 781,000 coronavirus patients discharged between April 1 and June 30. 35% of them were young people between the ages of 18 and 34. Every fourth patient had morbid obesity, 16% had hypertension, and 18% had diabetes. All of these issues are believed to worsen the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.

Young people with several issues had the same risks of a more severe course of COVID-19 infection as middle-aged people who did not have these issues. In young hospitalized patients, nearly the same rate of deterioration was confirmed: 21% needed treatment in intensive care, 10% were placed on artificial lung ventilation, 3% died.

Although among young people, hospital mortality was lower than among elderly patients, it was still 2 times higher than the mortality rate among young people admitted to hospitals with acute myocardial infarction.

According to experts, given the sharp increase in the incidence of COVID-19 among young people, the findings indicate the importance of preventive strategies in this age group.