Has the age of patients in ICU changed?

[DuchessOfHastings123]

Over the last few months I have seen many comments on MN on how patients in this wave are much younger (under 50) compared to last year. Does anyone have any information on this?
I looked at the ICNARC reports for March 2020 and Feb 2021 and the age range of patients look very similar to me. First graph is feb 21 and second is march 20.
Just curious what other people's understanding/experience of this is

@Dozer

www.icnarc.org/DataServices/Attachments/Download/9621110e-f267-eb11-912e-00505601089b

P27/28 for patient characteristics. Median age of admission (from Aug): 60.

I think that is the report I got the graph from

Sorry, median age 61 between 1 Sep and early Feb.

Yes it is. I screen shot the graph from that report.

@Dozer

Sorry, median age 61 between 1 Sep and early Feb.

It's ok we forgive you 1 year

That reports shows roughly a 2 year drop in average age pre and post 1 December - supporting the statement that people are younger. My anecdata suggests if you looked at this year compared to December it would be more noticeable.

@alreadytaken

That reports shows roughly a 2 year drop in average age pre and post 1 December - supporting the statement that people are younger. My anecdata suggests if you looked at this year compared to December it would be more noticeable.

Where does it say that please? I can't see it

It's not a small percentage of younger people who get very unwell though is it @DuchessOfHastings123?

According to your chart, the number of people in their 30s is higher than the number of people in their 80s.

And the number of men in their 40s is higher than women in their 70s.

The 120,000 who are dead from covid may have moved the dial fractionally by being taken out of the equation, and policies on who is admitted to hospital change, but the profile of the disease has not changed significantly that I am aware of.

@PrincessNutNuts

It's not a small percentage of younger people who get very unwell though is it *@DuchessOfHastings123*?

According to your chart, the number of people in their 30s is higher than the number of people in their 80s.

And the number of men in their 40s is higher than women in their 70s.

The 120,000 who are dead from covid may have moved the dial fractionally by being taken out of the equation, and policies on who is admitted to hospital change, but the profile of the disease has not changed significantly that I am aware of.

Isn't that because people in their 80s are unlikely to be admitted to ICU in the first place?

@PrincessNutNuts

It's not a small percentage of younger people who get very unwell though is it *@DuchessOfHastings123*?

According to your chart, the number of people in their 30s is higher than the number of people in their 80s.

And the number of men in their 40s is higher than women in their 70s.

The 120,000 who are dead from covid may have moved the dial fractionally by being taken out of the equation, and policies on who is admitted to hospital change, but the profile of the disease has not changed significantly that I am aware of.

But it depends which way round you're looking at it. You're saying that of the seriously unwell in ICU a sizeable proportion are younger. When people say that a small percentage of younger men are seriously ill they mean that of those younger people who get Covid, a very, very small proportion will be seriously ill (if by that you mean hospitalised). Both things are true.

Yes @Hardbackwriter this is what I meant. Of all the younger people who get covid, a very small amount are seriously ill

Isn't that because people in their 80s are unlikely to be admitted to ICU in the first place?

In the first wave they were unlikely to be admitted to hospital at all.

Are women in their 70s also unlikely to be admitted to ICU?

It's your chart. I'm just reading it. And it says more men in their 40's are admitted to ICU than women in their 70s.

@PrincessNutNuts

Isn't that because people in their 80s are unlikely to be admitted to ICU in the first place?

In the first wave they were unlikely to be admitted to hospital at all.

Are women in their 70s also unlikely to be admitted to ICU?

It's your chart. I'm just reading it. And it says more men in their 40's are admitted to ICU than women in their 70s.

You are acting as though I created the graph myself

Can someone explain to me exactly what point PNN is trying to make. I can't work it out. Reads like poster is arguing for the sake of it and both sides. I am lost🤷‍♀️

😂😂😂 ‘It’s your chart’ brilliant

@Fembot123

😂😂😂 ‘It’s your chart’ brilliant

@OliveTree75 It's a long report, I didnt note the pages. If you want it you can find it - or more accurately them as there were tables for London and the south east and one for the rest of the country. In both cases about 2 years difference.

@Ladyellow

Well surely there will be way more younger people in ICU because there are way more people with it? If you expect a given percentage of the under 50's to go to hospital with the illness no matter what , the more people that have the illness the greater the number in this group, just like any other? In our ICU the two biggest co-morbidities by far are obesity and/or diabetes. We've had very few under 60's without one of these factors.

Hi @Ladyellow & any other HCP's

Are any/many/most of the early 50's diabetic & obese patients surviving it?

@Greybeardy
@Dozer

Did you see anything in the report about diabetes?

I couldn't find anything but I'm really tired snd it's not easy to read in my phone.

Thanks.