Why are severe Covid-19 patients with underlying diseases at high risk of death?

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue - Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Deputy Head of the Treatment Subcommittee, many Covid-19 patients in this period have severe, worsening, and especially critical developments very quickly.

As of the morning of July 31, among the Covid-19 patients being treated, there were the following patients with severe progression, very severe prognosis, and high risk of death: Patient 416, Patient 418, Patient 431, Patient 436, Patient 437, Patient 438... In addition, some patients had severe progression such as Patient 429, Patient 426, Patient 427, Patient 430, Patient 422, Patient 433... Most of these severe patients are elderly, with many underlying diseases.

Informing the press late in the morning of July 31, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health, said that when infected with Covid-19, the group of people at high risk of severe progression will focus on the elderly (over 60 years old), those with underlying diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic kidney failure, periodic dialysis, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease...) or those with obesity, exhaustion...

"These factors will easily lead to an increased risk of severe Covid-19 infection" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Truong Son said.

Analyzing more specifically the mechanism of aggravation, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said that when the above group of people contract Covid-19, their resistance will decrease, causing the virus to develop faster in the body, damaging organs faster than other patients.

“I note the risk of cytokine storm. Some people, when attacked by the virus, will activate the body's immune system. This system not only attacks the virus but also attacks internal organs, causing organ failure and reduced function, leading to a more severe illness, for example, patient 91 in Ho Chi Minh City in the previous stage" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Truong Son said.

Illustration photo.

During this period, there were Covid-19 patients with chronic diseases who had to use respiratory support measures such as ECMO, mechanical ventilation, or oxygen therapy...

“This is a very dangerous sign, because these patients in general and patients with chronic kidney failure in particular will not only suffer from this disease, but also other serious diseases such as diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure, etc. When the virus attacks, organs will be vulnerable and resistance will be greatly reduced,” said Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son.

A geriatric expert said that the resistance of the elderly and those with underlying diseases is often lower than that of other age groups. If the elderly get sick, Covid-19 will accelerate those chronic diseases to the acute stage or acute phase, so the patient is very likely to die.

In fact, in countries with a large number of infections and deaths, the rate of Covid-19 deaths is mainly among the elderly with many chronic diseases.