Coronavirus infection rates may shift to younger ages. High risk of death for cancer patients

(Reuters) -The following is a brief summary of some of the latest scientific research on the new coronavirus and efforts to find cures and vaccines for the virus-caused disease COVID-19.

The burden of coronavirus infection may shift to younger age groups

While the coronavirus infection rate in Washington has passed its peak, the number of cases over the age of 60 has been reduced by 10%, but infections in the younger age group have steadily increased, the researchers say. The country’s first known major outbreak occurred in a state nursing home. However, in the second half of the outbreak, the prevalence of infection under 40 increased from 20% to 40% in all cases, according to a report posted Thursday without peer review on the medRxiv preprint server. “The fact that young people are usually less ill than the elderly and those with co-morbidities is a double-edged sword,” said Henry Kaplan, co-author of the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle, to Reuters. “It also means that they are often unaware that they have the disease or are unaware of the risks it poses to others. Younger patients usually work better with this disease. , They must not be the main intermediary in spreading it. ”()

COVID-19 cancer patients at high risk of death

Cancer patients with COVID-19 are at high risk of dying within a month, and new research may contribute to that additional risk by treatment with a combination of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, according to a new study. There is. Dr Jeremy Warner of Vanderbilt University in Nashville died on Thursday, out of 928 adults with COVID-19 and active or previous cancer, 13% died within 30 days of coronavirus diagnosis. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was effectively held this year. Patients with advanced cancer were approximately five times more likely to die within 30 days than were in remission or had no evidence of disease. Other factors at high risk of death included older age, male gender, former smoker, additional illness, and a combination of azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine. However, researchers have made it difficult to draw conclusions about their effects on mortality by emphasizing other factors, such as how sick people are given the drug. None of the types of cancer, the treatments used to treat it, or recent surgery was associated with an increased risk of death, but certain treatments can continue “at utmost care” during a pandemic Warner’s team wrote at Lancet on Thursday. “These findings suggest that patients faced with difficult decisions during a (coronavirus) pandemic, such as whether to withhold or continue anticancer treatment or accelerate end-of-life planning in certain circumstances. It affects healthcare providers. ”(; )

Elderly and overweight people with diabetes who are at high risk of rapid death from coronavirus

Extensive French research helps quantify the risks faced by people with diabetes and coronavirus infections. Of the 1,317 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with diabetes, about 1 in 10 died within 7 days and nearly one-third needed a ventilator to support their breathing , Died in that period. Less than one-fifth may be discharged within a week. The average patient in the study was 70 years old and most had type 2 diabetes, the researchers reported on Friday with diabetes. Poor results were more common if the patient was elderly, had diabetic complications, or was overweight. Long-term glycemic control was not associated with COVID-19 severity, but overweight was independently associated with mechanical ventilation or the risk of dying within 7 days. It was. Type 2 diabetes has long been associated with obesity. According to the researchers, “special care” should be taken to protect overweight elderly people with diabetic complications from “contamination” by coronaviruses. ()

High prevalence of COVID-19 in blacks associated with social issues

Researchers at the Ochsner Health system have confirmed that the incidence of coronaviruses in Louisiana is disproportionate and that mortality rates are high in blacks, but the mortality rate is low. It was. While 31% of the more than 500,000 people in Ochsner’s coverage area are black, non-Hispanic blacks accounted for 77% of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and 70.6% of associated deaths. But whites’ mortality was actually as high as 30.1% versus 20.1%, the researchers reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. And they found that black and non-Hispanic whites were equally likely to die of the virus after social and demographic data were taken into account in addition to the patient’s condition at admission. Research leader Dr. Ebony Price Haywood told Reuters “we have to think about situations that increase the risk of exposure,” in order to understand why blacks get infected. “In New Orleans and the surrounding areas, our economy is based on the services and tourism industries, and the majority of people who work in this sector are ethnic minorities,” she said. COVID-19 racial disparities may also reflect differences in the incidence of chronic conditions that increase the risk of serious illnesses such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. “The health disparities we see in our population have been what we have known for decades,” said Price Haywood. “COVID-19 has opened the door to a conversation about what we already know.” ()