Here’s a look at some of the underlying conditions added to the CDC list.
The pregnancy
“Pregnancy is a situation with all kinds of hormonal changes in the mix,” said Dr. Alan Fishman, medical director of the Obstetrix Medical Group in San Jose, California, and board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine. . “Pregnancy is a stress on a healthy woman’s body.”
So, he said, a pregnant woman who contracts COVID-19 may face more severe results.
“It seems that pregnant women [who contract COVID-19] they are 5.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than a non-pregnant woman, “Fishman told Healthline.” That is quite significant. “
“There is no evidence that pregnant women are more likely to get COVID-19,” he added.
But the risks mean that your office is carefully advising those considering pregnancy.
“I advise you to think about this information and how you feel about it,” he said. “They have to remember that it is not a good idea to skip a medical appointment or space them out further.”
While some pregnancy appointments can be made virtually, many must be done in person.
So what should a pregnant woman do?
“Common sense still holds,” said Fishman.
Wear a mask, wash your hands, keep a physical distance, and isolating when necessary remains the key, in addition to not missing any medical appointments.
“Clearly, these kinds of modifications are going to be with us for a long time,” he said.
Diabetes
There has been some confusion around COVID-19 in the diabetes community.
First, there is still no evidence that people with diabetes are more likely to get the new coronavirus.
“The CDC has not come out and said that type 1 or type 2 diabetes makes you more susceptible. [to COVID-19]Said Dr. Joshua Miller, medical director of diabetes care at Stony Brook Medicine and an assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism on the New York campus, told Healthline.
However, there is research that concludes that people with diabetes can develop more severe cases of COVID-19.
“What we are absolutely seeing is that people who have comorbidity struggle more when they get this,” Miller told Healthline.
Finding out what happens to people with diabetes who get COVID-19 is a challenge for healthcare providers.
“It’s challenging to look at the numbers and the statistics because the way that [track diabetes] in the medical world it’s a challenge, “said Miller.
Even in medical reports, he said, type 1 can be mixed with type 2.
Miller is working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to collect and evaluate data on COVID-19 diabetes patients. But she notes that mixed information makes it harder to trust the data.
Right now, the CDC has listed people with type 2 diabetes as “at higher risk” for more serious outcomes if they get COVID-19, and people with type 1 diabetes as “may be at higher risk.”
Miller, who has had type 1 diabetes for 21 years, knows one thing for sure.
“When [a person with diabetes] He is in the hospital because of this, his insulin needs increase a lot, “he said.
Even those with type 2 diabetes who take medications may need insulin injected during treatment, he added.
Your advice for those with some form of diabetes?
“The great lesson we are learning here is simply this,” he said. “The healthier our patients are, the better they do with COVID-19. Focus more than ever on your health. In general, the best results come from this. “
“While the area in which he lives has confirmed the spread of the community, his risk is greater than not,” he added. Stay home if you can. And always, wear the mask, wash your hands, keep that distance. Be smart, stay safe.
The aging of the population.
The CDC has moved away from a specific age limit out of concern for a more general statement on aging.
The CDC now says: “People in their 50s have a higher risk of serious disease than people in their 40s. Similarly, people in their 60s or 70s are generally at higher risk for serious disease than people age 50. The highest risk for severe disease from COVID-19 is among people age 85 and older.
That, say aging experts, is a major change.
“I have to give CDC credit for really clearing it up,” Dr. Ronald Caplan, author of “Caring for the Elderly” and “Long Life Strategy,” told Healthline. “Before this, we were saying 65 and beyond, like the Cinderella phenomenon. At midnight (in this case, 65 years old) does his coach just turn into a pumpkin? This is not the way medicine and real life work. “
Caplan says that when you consider that 60 percent of Americans have some type of underlying health condition, that 40 percent of adults are obese, and that many aging Americans have heart health problems, it makes sense that as As a person ages, a COVID-19 battle becomes more challenging.
What should older people do?
“The more you know, the more confident you can feel and the less anxious you will be,” Caplan said. “We are all becoming more familiar with this. We can see [the disease] attacks the major organ systems, so knowing how to treat any [comorbidities] what you have now will help you later. “
Your best tips for older adults?
“Seniors should not neglect to see their healthcare providers, now more than ever,” said Caplan. “And get your vaccines [for] flu and everything you need. “
The older population should also be careful with self-isolation when there is a community spread, but must do so with support.
“Suicide among older people is something that is not talked about, but it is one thing,” Caplan said. “You lose a spouse, a friend or friends and suddenly you are alone, and then this virus appears. It can be overwhelming. “
He suggests for those who should isolate themselves by making a trustworthy little bubble of friends or family who visit and monitor it.
Also repeat suggestions for wearing masks, keeping distance, and washing your hands.
“All of those common sense measures that the CDC is giving us all go back to when I was a kid, before vaccinations,” Caplan said. “This is what we did. And now, the answer is that we need an effective vaccine. However, we will have to wait for that and do the right thing in the meantime.”
Experts say additions, subtractions, and other changes to this list continue as the pandemic continues.
“It is a fascinating virus,” Dr. Mary Dale Peterson, MSHCA, FACHE, FASA, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, told Healthline. “It has a propensity to attack organs, but we are still learning a lot as we go along.”
He added that some of what medical professionals see makes historical sense, he added, such as that people with obesity have a harder time recovering and pregnancy taxes the heart and lungs.
As someone who sees the impact of comorbidity on COVID-19 recovery first-hand, Peterson has suggestions.
“The way I see it is this: We all have our own set of risk factors,” he said. “So look at what’s in your spheres of control.”
“I can make sure to take care of my chronic illness. I can eat a good diet. I can get up and actually not be a couch potato as tempting as it is to be right now, “he explained.
“Physical activity is actually a treatment that we use in the hospital in patients with COVID-19,” he added. “Double your healthy habits. It will only help. “
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