Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the UK have identified how frailty and fragile health increase the risk of dying from coronavirus infection. A new dangerous factor is reported in an article published in Age And Aging magazine. The research is summarized in a press release on MedicalXpress.
Experts conducted a clinical observational study involving 5711 patients with COVID-19 in 55 hospitals in 12 countries. It turned out that infirm people are three times more likely to die than those who remained mobile, regardless of their advanced age. However, the risk of poor health increases with age, although some people can live up to 90 years without developing weakness.
Weakness makes the body more vulnerable to the effects of illness, and it can develop even in the absence of other chronic diseases.
The results also showed that delirium, a state of confusion extremely common among COVID-19 patients, is not in itself associated with an increased risk of death. However, patients who have recovered from the coronavirus with delirium, weakness, dementia and mental health problems are more likely to need more careful medical care after discharge from the hospital.