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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has several attacks against him – age, obesity, high cholesterol, and being a man – that could put him at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from the COVID-19 infection that he revealed Thursday night (October 1) .
Trump and first lady Melania Trump, who also tested positive, “are fine at the moment” and plan to remain in the White House while they recover and are closely monitored, according to a statement from their doctor, Dr. Sean Conley.
A White House official said Friday that Trump had mild symptoms.
LEE: Trump will fulfill his duties ‘without interruptions’ while recovering from COVID-19: doctor of the president of the USA.
“The chances are high that he has a mild illness,” like most people with the virus, said Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic who has no role in Trump’s care.
But COVID-19 is very unpredictable, he stressed.
“We have young people who die. We have nursing home patients, many of them, who are doing quite well, ”Poland said.
No treatment has been shown to be effective in preventing the disease in an infected person with no or mild symptoms. That includes hydroxychloroquine, a drug that Trump long promoted and was even taken earlier this year after a White House staff member tested positive for the virus.
Here’s what experts are saying about Trump’s outlook and next steps.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The infection causes little or no symptoms in about 80 percent of cases. About 15% of people get seriously ill and 5% get seriously ill.
Symptoms, when they occur, usually appear 2 to 14 days after infection and may include loss of smell or taste, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea, or vomiting, diarrhea and fever.
READ: US Vice President Pence Tests Negative for COVID-19: Spokesperson
Up to half of hospitalized patients do not have a fever when admitted, but almost all develop one. How people do vary widely – some seem to rebound and then suddenly get worse.
Pneumonia, often with a specific appearance on X-rays, sometimes develops, but complications have been reported in virtually every organ in the body.
Doctors are also increasingly recognizing that some people have long-lasting symptoms.
Old age, being a man, and having any other health problem increase the chances of serious illnesses, and Trump has them.
READ: Shock, sympathy, mockery: the world reacts to Trump COVID-19 infection
At 74, “your age would be the biggest risk factor,” said Dr. David Banach, an infectious disease physician with the University of Connecticut health system.
People ages 65 to 74 are seven times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than those ages 18 to 29, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Risks increase exponentially at older ages. advanced.
Trump is also obese, with a body mass index of just over 30.
Obesity is a state of chronically lowered immunity. In other words, you don’t respond as well to vaccines, you don’t respond as well to infections ”as normal-weight people, Poland said.
Trump takes a statin to lower his cholesterol, and that condition also increases his risk of complications from COVID-19, doctors said.
NEXT STEPS
You don’t need to do tests like X-rays yet, but doctors will likely examine you frequently for any shortness of breath, coughing or other symptoms, Banach said.
There are no known medications to help people with no or very mild symptoms; remdesivir and steroids have been shown to be beneficial for certain patients with moderate and severe illnesses.
READ: Timeline of Trump’s Activities the Week COVID-19 Came Home
However, Dr. David Boulware, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota who has led studies of some treatments for the coronavirus, speculated that Trump’s doctors could test promising therapies that are being tested in studies now, such as drugs. antibody or convalescent plasma: COVID-19 blood. survivors.
“Most likely they will treat it in advance,” Boulware said. “They are not going to sit around and watch if he gets sick.”
RISK TO OTHERS
Could Trump have infected Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during Tuesday night’s debate?
Possible, but hopefully not likely, experts said. The candidates were separated by more than 1.8 m. But both candidates, especially Trump, spoke out loud, which research shows may cause virus particles to travel further, Poland said. “We can be sure that Joe Biden is being tested,” he said.
A large number of other people who have been close to Trump in the past 48 hours are at risk, the doctors said.
“Contact tracing will be really important,” Banach said. “The president comes into contact with many people during the day.”
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