Nearly every patient hospitalized with COVID-19 had more than one underlying health issue, according to a large study of patients in the New York City area. High blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes topped the list of common underlying conditions.
In the study, researchers explored the clinical characteristics and outcomes of more than 5,000 patients with COVID-19 admitted to 12 hospitals in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, New York between March 1 and April 4, 2020. They found that more than 80% of the patients had more than one underlying medical condition. The most common underlying health conditions were high blood pressure (affecting about 57% of all patients with COVID-19), obesity (affecting 42% of patients), and diabetes (affecting 34% of patients).
The same study also found that nearly 90% of the patients with COVID-19 who were on ventilators died, with those between the ages of 18 and 65 experiencing about a 76% mortality rate and those older than 65 having a 97% mortality rate. The study, partly funded by NHLBI, was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association