Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco looked at more than 8,000 participants ages 18-25 who had participated in the National Survey of Health Interviews to see what their medical vulnerability to severe Covid-19 was in relation to the indicators. of risk that had been established. by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including health conditions and smoking habits.
The researchers found that 32% of the total study population was medically vulnerable to severe Covid-19. However, when the group of participants who smoked cigarettes or e-cigarettes was removed from the analysis, the medically vulnerable percentage fell by half, to 16%.
“The difference between the estimates is largely due to the large proportion of young adults who reported that they had smoked in the past 30 days (1 in 10) and the consumption of e-cigarettes in the past 30 days (1 of each 14), “the report said. “By contrast, relatively fewer young adults reported medical conditions identified by the CDC as conferring risk of serious illness.”
Research showed that across the study population, young adult men were at increased risk for severe Covid-19. Although more women reported having asthma and immune conditions, higher smoking rates in men override this. However, looking only at nonsmokers, women were at increased risk.
“Recent evidence indicates that smoking is associated with an increased likelihood of COVID-19 progression, including increased disease severity, ICU admission, or death,” said Sally Adams, lead author of the study. and a specialist at the University of California’s National Health Information Center for Adolescents and Young Adults, in a press release. “Smoking can have significant effects in young adults, who generally have low rates for most chronic diseases.”
Another interesting research finding is that in the 18-25 age group, White young adults had the highest vulnerability.
“Our finding of less racial / ethnic minority medical vulnerability compared to the white subgroup, despite controlling for income and insurance status, was unexpected,” the study said. “It is also inconsistent with research showing higher morbidity and mortality rates for Covid-19 and other chronic diseases among racial / ethnic minorities, specific to an age group.”
It is also inconsistent with the 15-24 age group, The researchers said that Hispanics and African Americans had the highest death rates from Covid-19.
“This suggests that other factors in addition to the CDC medical vulnerability criteria play a role in the risk of severe Covid-19 disease in the young adult population,” the researchers said in the study.
The study has some limitations, including the lack of information on Covid-19 in the population 18-25, and the possibility that it may underestimate vulnerability rates for certain ethnic or racial subgroups of young adults due to the data source.
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