Those with diabetes, dementia and chronic pulmonary disease at high risk

[BeforeIPutOnMyMakeup]

According to Sky News if you have diabetes, dementia or chronic pulmonary disease you are at high risk of dying from Covid-19.

They can't clarify whether it is type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-a-quarter-of-covid-19-patients-who-died-in-england-had-diabetes-11988326

It does not mean you are at high risk of dying and that’s not what it says.

Annoys me when reports don't specify whether they are talking about Type 1 or type 2 diabetes, they are quite different!

They said 1/4 of those who died had diabetes and I’m assuming T2 as it is more common than type one

I wonder if it’s linked to obesity or maybe the other way round? I’m assuming it’s type 2 which has a huge correlation with being obese or overweight around 80-90%.

It does not mean you are at high risk of dying and that’s not what it says.

From link -
People with dementia or lung problems are also among those most at risk of dying after contracting COVID-19, according to new NHS figures.

So they are saying that. But I would have thought they are looking at it the wrong way round - since increasing age is a risk factor for Covid then the incidence of dementia is clearly going to be higher among those most severely affected.

So 3/4 of people who died didn't have diabetes.

Tbh it's hypertension that screws you with this one

This is not new news. This has been said since March.

I'm type 1, work in social care and very worried 😟

It's not just SKY saying this: the government produced two lists.

a) the extremely vulnerable 'shield' group

b) other vulnerable, those who

• are 70 or older

-,are pregnant

• have a lung condition that's not severe (such as asthma, COPD, emphysema or bronchitis)
• have heart disease (such as heart failure)
• have diabetes
• have chronic kidney disease
• have liver disease (such as hepatitis)
• have a condition affecting the brain or nerves (such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy)

have a condition that means they have a high risk of getting infections are taking medicine that can affect the immune system (such as low doses of steroids)

• are very obese (a BMI of 40 or above)

It is sad, but not really surprising, that there are many deaths among this group. Both kinds of diabetes lead to vulnerability.

@Clemmieandareallybigbunfight where has hypertension been highlighted as a particular risk?

@zoezoeok89 Sky News is definitely saying that.

Tbh it's hypertension that screws you with this one

Is it? Is it really? It maybe seemed like that at 1st but i don't think its an especially high risk factor now?

thelock hypertension would be considered heart disease as it's all part of the same cardiac system.
regarding diabetes both forms affect the kidneys so not sure it matters if it's type 1 or 2.
but none of this is new.

Hmmm. Well a lot of children, teens and younger people have type 1, so if it was as big a risk as type 2, wouldn't we see more deaths in younger groups? (Thank God we don't!)

"most at risk" and "high risk" are two completely different things.

"most at risk", which is what this is saying, is about relative risk. Having diabetes is overrepresented in the death stats, so it would appear that having diabetes raises your individual risk, more so than other underlying conditions (possibly).

It does not mean having diabetes puts you "at high risk of dying". It may elevate your risk, but no one who gets Covid is "at high risk" of dying - the vast majority of people who contract it do not die.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/14/one-in-four-people-who-died-in-uk-hospitals-with-covid-19-had-diabetes

"NHS England’s breakdown, published for the first time on Thursday, did not specify how many of the 5,873 diabetics who died had type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition not related to lifestyle, and type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to being overweight. Fuller details will be published in an article in a medical journal next week."
keeping an eye on this as a type 2..

www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/health/blood-pressure-drugs-coronavirus.amp.html

this doesn't surprise me. My dad has dementia, he lives with my mum still, but he doesn't understand the concept of "staying at home" so he risks exposure more than people who are. That being said, I understand the risk of catching covid are low if you are just passing someone in the street, so his risk is presumably lower than if he was in a care home.

Hypertension is not heart disease. It can lead to heart disease.

as much as people may not want to think hypertension is considered part of the term heart disease it is.

Dementia is presumably correlation not causation ie it's nearly all old people who have dementia. Old people are also at higher risk from coronavirus.

But I don't having dementia makes people more susceptible.

It says heart disease eg heart failure in the vulnerable list
That's a big difference from just having hypertension

I don’t take my medical information from politicians.

It's been known since February that diabetes and, separately, hypertension were two of the biggest risks. Which is why I was so shocked when the government didn't include these conditions on the shielding list.

Whilst diabetes type 2 does indeed have a strong link to obesity it's important to remember it's not the only cause. And also that 'lifestyle' often doesn't go hand in hand with 'choice'.

I agree that dementia, unlike diabetes and hypertension, is likely a correlation. Particularly given the spread of Covid in care homes.