Pre-existing traits associated with Covid-19 illness severity.
Joseph E EbingerNatalie AchamallahHongwei JiBrian L ClaggettNancy SunPatrick BottingTrevor-Trung NguyenEric LuongElizabeth H KimEunice ParkYunxian LiuRyan RosenberryYuri MatusovSteven ZhaoIsabel PedrazaTanzira ZamanMichael ThompsonKoen RaedscheldersAnders H BergJonathan D GreinPaul W NobleSumeet S ChughC Noel Bairey MerzEduardo MarbánJennifer E Van EykScott D SolomonChristine M AlbertPeter ChenSusan C ChengPublished in: PloS one (2020)
In our healthcare system, greater Covid-19 illness severity is seen in patients who are older, male, African American, obese, with diabetes, and with greater overall comorbidity burden. Certain comorbidities paradoxically augment risk to a greater extent in younger patients. In hospitalized patients, male sex is the main determinant of needing more intensive care. Further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying these findings.