A majority of adult COVID-19 hospitalizations nationwide are attributable to at least one of four pre-existing conditions: obesity, hypertension, diabetes and heart failure, in that order.
A study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) and led by researchers at the Gerald J. and Dorothy Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, estimated that among the 906,849 total COVID-19 hospitalizations that had occurred in U.S. adults as of November 18, 2020:
- 30% (274,322) were attributable to obesity
- 26% (237,738) were attributable to hypertension
- 21% (185,678) were attributable to diabetes
- 12% (106,139) were attributable to heart failure
Each condition has been strongly linked in other studies to an increase in poor outcomes of those infected with COVID-19. According to the study, when numbers for the four conditions were combined, it suggests 64% (575,419) of COVID-19 hospitalizations might have been prevented, and a 10% reduction in national prevalence of each condition, when combined, could prevent about 11% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations.
SOURCE: Newswise February 23, 2021